What’s Inside of You? (Daily Refresh, 12-08)

Have you ever made a poor decision and thought, “Why did I do that?” 

In the Old Testament, the heart was considered the center of inner life, and people believed it dictated thoughts, emotions, and actions. It was essentially a combination of someone’s soul and mind. 

When Proverbs 4:23 tells us to “guard our hearts,” what it’s essentially saying is to pay careful attention to how you fill your inner life. 

What goes into your soul and mind determines what comes out of your mouth. And what you say influences your actions and decisions. While you might not notice the effect your choices have on you today—over time, they will impact the direction of your life.    

So how do we intentionally take care of our inner lives? 

Our bodies were made by God, which means the thing they need most is God. He is the One who sustains us. So some of the best things we can do for ourselves is to intentionally seek God through prayer, studying Scripture, reflecting on His blessings, and inviting the Holy Spirit to speak to us throughout our day. 

The best way to guard our hearts is by giving our hearts to God. When we make Him the center of our lives and the source of our strength, what we do will flow out from Him. 

So instead of fitting God into our daily routines, let’s create our daily routines around our relationship with God. Let’s create space for God to speak to us and restore us. Let’s allow God to heal the parts of our lives that are broken—so that what comes out of us is good, encouraging, and leads to an abundant, joy-filled life.

My Thoughts

I think that the most important sentence in the devotional is the one I emboldened at the end, “So instead of fitting God into our daily routines, let’s create our daily routines around our relationship with God.” All too frequently, I have a plan for the day before I even get out of bed. Time with God is part of that plan, but sometimes I am disrupted in my plan and I get irate, because I had a plan that is not going the way I think it should. A relationship with God, not just a daily rote devotional time with Him, is what is most important. Yes, the devotional time is a priority, but it is not the thing that keeps me in touch with God. That is my daily plugging in before I even get out of bed, talking to God, thanking Him for my rest and telling Him what my plans are and asking for His help to get things done.

I went into the kitchen to make a chai for our granddaughter this morning, reaching over and turning the machine on. But, no lights came on to indicate it was ready to go to work. I belatedly realized that I had not plugged it in yet. The connection to the electricity in the house made the Keurig work just fine. And my connection to God every day helps me to work the way I should, too.

I just returned from a visit to my sister in NC. She has macular degeneration so doesn’t see well, arthritis so she doesn’t move well and a bad attitude about life in general. I did all I could to help while I was there, making the meals, bringing her items she needed and cleaning up. But instead of gratitude, I got yelled at every day about something small, like putting a pot holder on the counter with the four coffee makers she has. Who knew that “nothing goes on the counter with the coffee makers”? After three days of that, I was fed up and ready to go home, knowing that I would be leaving in just two more days. Then the weather forecast for snow back home changed my plans. I was distraught to say the least, not happy that I had to stay an extra day with someone so negative and grumpy. On Thursday night, after a long day of her being the same as usual, I went to my bedroom and as I fell exhausted into bed, I asked God to help me get through one more day. The Holy Spirit gently reminded me to be compassionate and patient with her, showing me clearly how lonely her life is every day without friends or human contact except occasionally. With that in mind, I prayed for a good day and a change to witness to her. It was amazing the next morning when for the first time all week, she thanked me for making the meals the whole time. She never said thank you, so that was a minor miracle to me. Then we spent the day chatting and enjoying each other’s company. The negativity was still there, but it wasn’t the focus. The time together was what was important. God’s Spirit had me focus on what her life was like and to treat her the way Jesus would have if he were the one with her for that extra day. When one of her coffee makers didn’t work right, I assisted in getting the serial number off the back. She couldn’t read it so I took a screenshot so she could make it larger and talk to customer service to troubleshoot. While she talked to them, I prayed silently that all would work out, and it did! The coffee maker started working again and she was pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t that hard to troubleshoot. The whole day was kind of like that. She had a problem and I tried to work it out with her. At one point, she was almost hyperventilating and sobbing with the stress of a particular problem. I told her to take a deep breath, exhale slowly and say a short prayer for help. She didn’t say anything to me about my advice, but she did stop crying and started thinking rationally again.

I know absolutely that I did not have answers for her but God did and He had prepared me to help out that day by reminding me to have compassion and patience. If I had not kept myself plugged into Him during my visit, I would have missed the opportunity to be a helper and a witness.. We never know what chances we miss out on to help others if we are self-focused instead of God-focused. I had been so busy feeling bad for myself that I had to spend an extra day with Grumpy and Thankless that I would have missed it. I thank the Lord that He knew what my sister needed as well as what I needed and His small voice in my heart was just what I needed to hear to not just make it through the last day with my sister but to actually enjoy it. My heart was full of love when I left instead of anger and feeling taking advantage of, as I had all week, pressing down my emotions in order to try to continue to help her. I think God answered my prayer in a miraculous and unexpected way, a way that can only come with a heart focused on serving God. I found out the hard way that I am nowhere close to perfect, but when I humble myself before the Father, He takes me and uses me for His good plan. He is not just fitting into my routine; He is the center of it!