Above All Else

Above All Else, Guard Your Heart, For It Is The Wellspring of Life.
Proverbs 4:23

I've spent a lot of time in life contemplating this scripture.  I remember that it first struck me all of a sudden while reading the Bible in my dormroom.  Since then, I've heard it countless times.  Most often, I hear it targeted towards young single persons and how you should guard your heart in dating.  Sometimes you hear it in reference to the gift of discernment.  You often hear it used in reference to overcoming hurt and pain. 

This morning, the scripture became brand new to me, yet again - as scripture tends to do.  I realized that when taken totally literally, this scripture is just as true.  Really, no better medical statement could be made.  Death, no matter the cause, comes when the heart stops.  All of our behaviors and actions should be approached in a way that guards our heart, from what we eat and how we exercise to the people we surround ourselves with.  This became more profound for me because I am in the process of changing the foods I eat specifically to guard my heart from danger.  If I approach it from this perspective, I'm not so bummed about giving up or restricting some of the foods I love. 

Perhaps we should frame all of our decisions with the following question:  Does this bring even more life to my heart?