“God knows the danger of ignoring our hearts, and so he reawakens desire.”- John Eldredge
As John Eldredge continues the Spring section of Walking with God, he notes our unmet longings keep presenting themselves in one way or another. However, John finds, from time to time God comes and actually stirs our longings and desires. He awakens them.
Our natural inclination leads us to bury our longings and desires, ignoring our hearts. But this isn’t healthy. Mr. Eldredge explains:
“To bury the deep longings of our hearts is not a good thing. Doing so begins to shut our hearts down, and then we fall into that ‘get on with life’ mentality. . . . It’s like a form of slow starvation. If your body doesn’t get what it needs, you can run for a while without it. But slowly the erosion begins to manifest itself. . . . You need nourishment.”
Therefore, the hurting heart begins to insist on some attention. In response, John states, we can:
- listen to those rumblings and let them surface- so we can bring them to God
- give in to some addiction, falling prey to a substitute that looks like life
In addition, C. S. Lewis (The Weight of Glory) explains that what God uses to awaken us is not necessarily what we long for. He states:
“The things in which we thought beauty was located will betray us if we trust to them; it was not in them, it only came through them, and what came through them was longing. These things . . . are good images of what we desire, but if they are mistaken for the thing itself, they turn into dumb idols, breaking the hearts of their worshippers. For they are not the thing itself.”
In conclusion, sending your heart into exile only serves to exile your heart from God’s love. And God desires your whole heart.
Today’s question: How has “ignoring our hearts” proven harmful to you? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “When life seems overwhelming”