Listen to Your Heart – March 11, 2001
A small child’s visit to the doctor can be a frightening experience. To put the child’s mind at ease, the doctor will often show him a stethoscope, explain its purpose, and then say, “Would you like to listen to your heart?” The child’s fear is then changed to curiosity as he listens to the beat of his own heart. A smile will cross his face as he’s filled with a new understanding.
Perhaps we could receive a new understanding if we’d listen to our own hearts. It doesn’t take a stethoscope—just a short time away from the rush of the world—to ponder the deep desires of our hearts. The Psalmist David gave a key to his greatness when he said, “I commune with mine own heart.”1 This type of communication takes courage and often requires change.
A mother of two young children, who had a high-paying job with a successful company, enjoyed her work; but she longed to be home with her children. She listened to her heart, quit her job, and found a way to continue earning by doing consulting from her home, where she could be with her children. She’s never regretted her courageous decision.
What might your heart be trying to tell you? It may be that you want to further your education, to learn to play the piano, to make a career change. Or it may be a feeling that it’s time to apologize to a family member and restore a loving relationship. It takes courage to apply the wise counsel of Ecclesiastes, to “walk in the ways of thine heart.”2 As we trust the instincts of our hearts, we’ll be led to a richer, more fulfilling, and more meaningful journey on this earth.
Program #3734
1. Psalm 77:6.
2. Ecclesiastes 11:9.