Getting to the Heart of the Matter

I am going to show you two images and you tell me if they look anything alike.

One of these images you have probably seen all week. More than likely you have not seen the other image since the last time you went to the doctor’s office. Well, if we are going on looks alone, it is clear these two images look nothing alike. However, we all know that they are both images of the heart.

The curiosity bug bit me this Valentines Day, and with the power of the internet I set out to figure out where in the world this symbol for the heart came from. It is clear it bears little to no resemblance of a real human heart. I wish I could tell you some neat story about where the icon for the heart came from, but instead what I got was more questions and a lot of theories. One of my favorites is that the symbol is modeled after a cow heart instead of a human heart. Back when the symbol first popped onto the scene, people would have been much more familiar with a cow heart rather than a human heart. If that is the case, it makes giving a heart shaped box of chocolates a little funny.

With all the theories I read, none seem to do a good job at explaining the huge difference between our symbol for a heart and a real heart. This vast disparity in the image of the heart reminds me of the equally vast disparity between the biblical view of the human heart and the world’s view.

Now, of course, when we speak of the biblical view and the popular view of the human heart, we are not talking about the physical heart that is in one’s body, instead we are speaking of the inner man. This inner man, according to society, is inherently good.

In direct contrast to the world’s view, the Bible tells us that our heart is sinful and wicked. Furthermore, the Bible tells us that the sin we see manifest in our lives is a direct result of our sinful hearts. This is when the world’s view becomes very attractive. It feels and sounds a lot better if I can say, “I am a good person, but I just make some mistakes sometimes.” It makes fixing the sin in our lives simply behavior management. This is where Jesus’ exchange with the Pharisees comes in. As He was chastising them He says, “… for the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.” Of all the things we do, it seems that if anything could be a simple mistake, it would be a “slip of the tongue.” Scripture is clear that even the mouth itself can only speak what flows from the heart. The sin that we see in our life is a reminder that our heart is sinful.

What do we do with this sinful heart? What do we do when we find sin in our lives and if changing behavior alone will not solve the problem?

Put your faith in Christ. Whether you have never trusted Christ as Lord and Savior before, or if you have been a believer for years, this still applies. Heart transformation is not something we can do on our own before or after salvation. Paul in Colossians says; “Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.” At salvation we put our faith in Christ to save us from our sins, and that is what we need to do everyday. That is what we need to continue to walk in.

Put your heart on a good diet. One of the best ways to expose the evil that lives in the closets of your heart is to meditate on the Word of God. Over and over in the book of Proverbs the father instructs his son to, “Incline his heart toward wisdom.” The idea is that the son will not just hear wisdom, but meditate upon it so that it becomes deeply rooted in his thoughts, will, emotions, and desires.

Lastly, guard your heart. Proverbs 4:23 says, “Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.” Since the Bible makes it clear that our heart’s natural desire is toward sin and wickedness apart from Christ, after we have come to Christ we must guard it from being taken captive by sin again. In one of Paul’s prayers for the church at Ephesus he uses a great word picture. He says, “…that Christ may dwell in your heart.” The image is that of Christ being at home in our hearts. As a husband and father I have a very strong desire for my family to feel comfortable and safe when they are at home. I would likely go to great lengths to protect my home. The question is, am I doing a good job guarding my heart so Christ feels at home?

Well, we may never know where the modern symbol for the heart truly came from, but praise God we do know what to do with our real heart, our inner man. May the Father “grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your heart through faith…”

Eric Flintoff