Guard Your Heart

It seems we live in a society that is more connected than ever before yet people are lonelier than ever before. I’ve been thinking about this phenomenon recently and how it impacts me as a stay at home mom. I’ve also been contemplating what is means to “guard your heart.” I’m not sure why, but after I had kids and decided to stay at home I noticed myself trying to feel more connected. I believe we all want to be a part of something and have a sense of community. 

After days of engaging in “baby talk,” I start talking to myself! Just to get some adult interaction. My kids probably wonder who I am talking to! HAHA. Have you ever noticed yourself doing this? Some days we just need to escape. Escape the piles of dirty laundry. Escape the crying children who just won’t take naps. Lastly, escape the husband who leaves his dirty clothes right next to the hamper. You know what I mean? It’s so easy to escape in to someone else’s life because when you go through life, sometimes you just need a break. So where do we turn? We turn to social media, reality TV, romantic novels, soap operas, The Bachelor, etc. It’s so easy to get lost in someone else’s life isn’t it?

Now these things in themselves aren’t horrible, but I’ve noticed a trend. It’s when we let our guard down and we are drawn in just a little too far. When this happens we may lose a healthy perspective of what our own lives offer and we start comparing our “lacking” to someone else’s highlight reel. We must be careful not to slide down this slippery slope. You may not even realize it is happening because you are looking for connection and a nice break from the demands of life.

One of the problems is so many of these reality TV shows, romance novels, etc. are based on a false premise. We see fairytale love stories where the man and woman never face any challenges, never fight, never disagree and never live the daily grind. It can start to distort our reality. Instead of feeling relaxed and rejuvenated, we leave feeling empty and questioning why are lives aren’t better. 

We are told in Proverbs 4:23 (NLT): Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. When we watch these shows, read these novels, log on to social media we must do it with a filter. I want to guard my heart, my family, my relationships. In order to do this I need to become more aware of what I am watching and how it impacts my thinking and feelings.

We must be proactive in protecting our hearts, our relationships, our feelings. It’s fun to watch the Bachelor and daydream about taking insanely romantic dates all around the world. But at the end of the day I decided it’s not for me. 

How do you protect your heart from falsehoods of this world? How do you keep a healthy perspective on your life when you watch TV or read books? In what ways do you protect your heart from comparison? Envy? Jealousy? I’d love to hear your story in the comments below.

How do you guard your heart?