What is this thing we call the heart? I am not talking about the physical organ that pumps blood around our body. I am speaking about the non-material essence of our being that guides our lives. The part of us that is our internal compass, our character, our ground of being.
To understand our heart we must begin to look within. This is the journey I have been taking the last seven years of my life. It began for me at the age of 20. I had some desire to learn about myself before this time, but it wasn’t until about the age of 20 when I began to really go searching. It started for me when I went along to a local Salvation Army Church. I found a place where I belonged, and a place where people were searching for more meaning in life. I connected with this. Although, I did not believe in their God at this time. But I was interested in what these people believed and how it was that they lived their lives. Over the journey of a few months I questioned more and was open to what it was that they spoke about and believed. I found that most people were up for a real discussion and would speak about their beliefs and allow me to speak about mine. And then finally months later I had an experience of God. That for me is when this journey really launched off. I tell you all of this to show you where my heart journey commenced.
Ever since that night in 2010 I began a real heart journey to know myself and to know God. This journey has been a somewhat wild ride. You will hear more about my journey over time. But it is only in the more recent months that I have really begun to understand this concept of the heart. Many Christians in Christian circles spoke about it, but it was never really explained what it was. At least not to the degree that it had a profound affect on me. This idea of your heart is about the moral, intellectual and emotional aspects of your life. They are the higher thought systems that we as humans hold. The fact that we, as humans, can not only think at this level but can also observe our state of being is what sets us apart from the animals.
We all have a moral and emotional foundation in our lives. We begin to build on this as we grow from childhood into adolescence then to adulthood. Our morals and emotional foundations can and do change over time. Generally though, we are somewhat stuck with our morals and emotional foundations early on in life; unless we decide to stop and take notice of them and begin to work through a process of change. Our moral, emotional and intellectual foundations are very much given to us by our life circumstances. Our parents or most influential adults in our lives have a large affect on our heart, and probably the most profound. Our culture, our school system and even the community in which we grow up in have a heavy influence on the foundations of the moral, emotional and intellectual aspects of our lives.
I have been going through this process of change over the last seven years. I never really noticed how much my life circumstances played a role in the creation of these fundamental aspects of my life. It was not until I truly began to look within and see my actions and thought patterns that my eyes were opened to what it is that i believed and how it affected all my life’s actions. Over the last few months I have really entered into the process of taking stock of my thoughts and how they affect my character as a person. It has been an incredibly hard process and I have felt like giving up all too often. But I am committed to becoming all that I can be, and seeing the foundational aspects of my moral, emotional and intellectual character develop. Helping me to become an all round healthier and happier person that can live my life to the fullest degree. I hope to give back to this world, in what I am hoping will be a deep and meaningful way.
The biggest and by far hardest change in all of this is for me to take stock of my thought life and work on changing it so that I am no longer limited by old ways of thinking.
Our “thought life” does a great deal to impact and create our moral, emotional and intellectual character. The old adage, change your thoughts change your life rings true on every level. Limiting thoughts and views will stop you from becoming all that you can be. To spend time throughout our day paying attention to our “thought life” and beginning to harness it will have positive and lasting effects that will go beyond the time and effort put in. We as humans have the capacity to reflect and take stock of our thoughts. It is a great gift that we need to learn and harness.
So what can you do to begin to change your “thought life”? Just start small. Every little step will bring you closer to a brighter, happier and healthier future. But I want to warn you, this isn’t for the faint of heart. It will take hard work and it will sometimes feel impossible, but you can achieve it! You were made to be more and do more.
Written by David Mackertich.
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