Undivided

Let not your hearts be troubled... 


Recently I have been caught up by trying to wrap my head around, the heart. Where exactly the heart lies. Is it the actual physical organ? Or is it really the deepest cavern of our self, that can't be physically touched, manipulated or examined by any human or creation. 

“Follow your heart, but be quiet for a while first. Ask questions, then feel the answer. Learn to trust your heart.”


“When you smiled you had my undivided attention. When you laughed you had my urge to laugh with you. When you cried you had my urge to hold you. When you said you loved me, you had my heart forever.”


“The greatest treasures are those invisible to the eye but found by the heart.”


“Love is not written on paper, for paper can be erased. Nor is it etched on stone, for stone can be broken. But it is inscribed on a heart and there it shall remain forever.”


“The heart has reasons that reason does not understand.”


“The human heart feels things the eyes cannot see, and knows what the mind cannot understand”

“Don't be reckless with other people's hearts, don't put up with those who are reckless with yours.”

“You change your life by changing your heart.”

What is this sacred entity that seems to possess great power yet can be the single thing that paralyzes and cripples a person if damaged? 

I wanted to understand more about the heart beyond any preconceived idea that I had had before. And decided to take a closer look, in the only place trustworthy of definition.

"And you, my son, acknowledge the God of your Father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart & understands every motive behind the thoughts."

1 Chronicles 28:9

"Create in my a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." Psalm 51:10

"I run in the path of your commands, for You have set my heart free; Turn my heart toward Your statutes & not toward selfish gain." Psalm 119:32, 36

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding." Proverbs 3:5

"Keep my commands and you will live; bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart." Proverbs 7:1,3

"You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:13

& the best: "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." Proverbs 4:23

From just reading these few verses one can conclude, that a heart is not simply an organ or a well knit outline of emotions, but rather, a freedom seeker, a motive maker, a longing for honesty, a tool for inscription, a compass, a natural spring & originally designed. 

wow. 

When one is aware of the immense capacities, duties and desires found constructed in a heart, it becomes the second most sacred part of a person, behind the Spirit. It is the doorway for the Lord to enter into your Spirit. It also a doorway to distraction. & destruction.

Here is a reality that I have realized very harshly: A "divided" heart is a "broken" heart. 

And here's an even harsher truth. "broken" doesn't mean gaping.

Despite the smallest fracture or splinter, a portion is separated.

Divided.

Are you honestly asking God to "search your heart?" Are you even aware of where your splinters linger? 

Divided attention.

Divided desire. 

Divided longing. 

Divided companionship. 

Divided focus. 

Divided ambitions = Divided hearts. 

Here's another doosey: Any desire that is beyond wanting to know Jesus more than anything else or anyone else is not a desire of the Spirit. 

So what do we do?

We pray in full earnest God to search our hearts. & we willingly let Him expose the harsh truths of where those deep fractures reside. Then we take heart. & press in. 

Undivided hearts. 

Undivided devotion. 

With such natural tendency towards fragility, we all need to be taking more concern in the guarding and growing of our hearts. 

That is what I am praying for all of us today. 

Let Him do the work, that only He can do. 

Teach me Your way, O Lord;

& I will walk in Your truth.

Give me, an undivided heart,

that I may fear Your name...." Psalm 86:11

Keep Calm &....

I have been prolonging blogging because I knew that in some way it would represent the return to routine & familiarity. That the journey to Haiti had been completed. & that it was time to "bounce back" if you will to reality. Almost a month later, I suppose it's time to address somethings.

1. Haiti
I realized that there is absolutely no way that I can begin to sum up my trip to Haiti. I struggle even still to find words. It helps me most when people ask me directed questions rather than, "how was it?" It was: good, bad, amazing, horrendous, life changing, draining, empowering, & paralyzing all at the same time. & no matter what picture I attempt to paint for you, or photograph I can show you, you will not understand or be moved or grasp. It is nearly impossible to wrap your mind around something you have never experienced or seen.

2. Ignorance
That being said, just because you haven't seen or experienced it, doesn't mean it isn't real. It doesn't mean you can pretend it's not. It also doesn't warrant your ignorance or lend an acceptable excuse. In a lot of ways, it's like faith. Whether you choose to accept God or not doesn't change the reality of His existent. I can honestly say that returning home from Haiti has been far more challenging than going. I never thought I'd say that either. You would assume that the hardest thing would be trying to understand why we are privileged enough to live in this country with so many things at our fingertips, but I will tell you, it is not. The hardest thing to swallow is not the abundance, but the entitlement. The self righteousness. The lack of patience. - the lack of manners? of respect for humanity? The ignorance of others has by far been my greatest challenge regarding reintegration. I can't tell you how many times I have seen it since I've been back. "Issues" such as; the bread that was served with your sandwich. The rudeness of customers in lines. The size of your chick-fila breast? Give me a break. People beyond our neighborhoods are STARVING. HUNGRY. THIRSTY. LIVING IN TENTS. DYING. We are kings in the eyes of them considering our material wealth and resources. We all have a struggle or a hard day or an illness I'm not downplaying that. But in all reality, You don't have it hard. I'm sorry, but you don't. So extend some kindness to the people you encounter each day. Be patient & be grateful. You are blessed beyond what you can even fathom.

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
   “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
    “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for Me."   

3. Expectations
Something that I absolutely loved about Haiti that I miss greatly here is the ability of "unplugging." I loved being cutoff for a short time. It was amazing to not have to respond to someone right away. Emails, texting, facebook, twitter. Constant communication. All awesome technologies that are a blessing. Yet, overused and abused, are distractions to what God is telling us to do, asking of us. Preoccupying our precious time. & for me, has been absolutely burdening. There are some days where I simply do not have the hours. Or the want. Some days I am just burned out and need me time. We all need to unplug. If we don't we will never be able to hear God's whispers to our hearts. I wanted to include this part in my blog because I know that there are many people that have wanted to see me/hang out/are expecting things from me. & I want you to know that I may not be able to do all of the things you are expecting of me. I have a lot of things going on right now & something may just not be able to fit. It doesn't meant I don't care. It means I need to be obedient.

All that being said. It is your decision to seek truth or not. Whether that means to travel & to serve. Or simply gain more knowledge & a greater global perspective. Or perhaps just implementing a heart change. Maybe just cutting out the world for a little while & embracing silence. It's up to you. I am simply challenging you to do so.

Francis Chan, a very well known Christian speaker, said , "One day, we will have to stand before the Lord, the highest judge, as a gymnast stands before judges after a routine. Will our routine, our lives, being an impressing performance upon the King, worthy of "Well Done?"

Here's the deal. Somethings just have to go. Old ways of thinking, safety nets, securities, time wasted, relationships, distractions, matters of your hearts, ignorance, expectations of others. It's the only way we can gain clarity.

Right now, my motto is a familiar one. "Keep Calm & Carry On." What is your "&....."? I hope you will search your heart to discover what God is trying to say to you, today.

"We can't do everything, but we can do something"- Ashley Marie Bohinc

*all photographs taken by Phil Moore August 2011 in Somalia, Africa where they are currently experiencing intense famine & drought.It has been said to be the greatest humanitarian emergency in our world.