The Thoughts of Many Hearts

When Simeon cradles the infant Messiah in his arms, he speaks of salvation and glory and revelation. He speaks of his own death. He speaks of the fulfillment of God’s promise to all people.

But most memorable, in my opinion, are his words about the hearts of men. This Child, he says, will be the way “the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

Perhaps you’re like me. Perhaps you don’t enjoy scrutinizing yourself, your actions, your intentions. You don’t like reflecting on why you feel or react the way you do, and you really don’t enjoy measuring those feelings and reactions against what you know they could be.

It’s exhausting to sit with God, your heart in your hands, both of us looking at it, talking about it. So far too often, I opt out.

The oldest trick of the devil, you see, is to distract us from thinking about our hearts. It’s not hard for him to do. There are so many other things I could be doing, after all. Answering emails. Catching up on laundry. Scrolling Facebook. Worrying about inflation and the election. Stressing about my kid’s dance recital and next week’s busy schedule.

But where is God truly at work? Where is the place God will point to, when my life on Earth has come to its close?

It is the very depths of my heart. The place where I am my most authentic self, for better or worse. The place where all my pretensions crumble away, and I am alone with the truth of who I am and what I choose to do.

Am I brave enough to look into the depths of my own heart?

©LPi