Listen to the Lips of Your Heart

Quick Eye Exam:

How many “Fs” are in the following sentence? (Answer is further down.)

FINISHED FILES ARE THE
RESULT OF YEARS OF SCIENTIFIC
STUDY COMBINED WITH THE
EXPERIENCE OF YEAR

How many “Fs” did you count?

Did you hear about the young woman who went to see an eye doctor. The receptionist asked her why she was there, and she complained, “I keep seeing spots in front of my eyes.”

The receptionist asked, “Have you seen a doctor?”

The woman thing replied, “No, just spots.”

Eye Exam results:

If you counted three, you are normal. If you counted six, you are a genius…. or you’ve done this before. Apparently, the brain cannot process the word “OF” … amazing, isn’t it?

Speaking of eyes, I (Dawn) was driving down the road with my granddaughter Megan a few weeks ago, and she kept smacking me on the arm (ouch!) every time she saw a Volkswagen “Bug” ~ a game she and her sister Jenna play with their dad. I said, “How about we use convertibles (of any make) instead” ~ thinking that we’d see fewer of them.  But wouldn’t you know it, she then saw a slew of “Caddies!” (Smack. Ouch!)

I suddenly had the thought ~ “We’re seeing them only because that’s our focus!” And you know, that’s true. Whatever we focus on takes center-stage in our thoughts.

What do you notice consistently? I’m tend to see everything turquoise, of late, since a fashion consultant told me, “That’s your best color.”

I also notice every red convertible, every display of good chocolate, every Jack Russell Terrier, every freckle-faced or blonde child, every sign that says “Bob,” every bookstore, and every church. I notice these things, because I love them or they remind me of things or people I love. These are the things in my heart.  And all these things show up in my conversations, too. (Just ask me!) So “focus” isn’t just about the eyes.

I had to laugh the other day when a scripture verse gave me a weird “picture” in my thinking.  The verse was, “What you say flows from what is in your heart” (Luke 6:45b, NLT). I envisioned a heart with huge lips on one side, and from those lips spewed words ~ all the statements and conversations from deep within my life.

Just as when I squeeze a lemon, I’m not going to get orange juice, whatever is in my “heart” (my inner life of thoughts and beliefs) is what’s going to come out ~ nothing less, nothing more, nothing different.  Everything about me is stored in my heart, and it will eventually come out in my attitudes and actions, either good or evil (Luke 6:45a).

This is why I must guard my heart so carefully (Proverbs 4:23). I want my life to “speak forth” the truth of God’s Word and the fruit of the Spirit.

Just as we get a physical heart exam, we also need to get regular spiritual, emotional, and mental check-ups.  We need to check out what is stored up in our hearts so we can get rid of anything that is foolish, worthless, or evil.

What is the focus of your heart? What are your priorities, your desires, your spiritual disciplines, and your past-times? If you’re not sure, listen to your conversations for one week, and they may tell you a little about what makes you tick.

Wherever you focus, that is the person you are and, ultimately, who you will become (Proverbs 23:7a). Your focus is vitally important. The truth is, whatever you focus on in life will tend to expand and eventually control you.

So listen to the lips of your heart. What are they revealing?