“Follow your heart.”
What could possibly be wrong with that statement?
Presently, I’m reading a biography on John Newton (1725-1807), author of the beloved song, Amazing Grace.
The seafaring Newton, at 17 years of age, stumbled upon Earl of Shaftesbury’s “The Moralists: a Philosophical Rhapsody.” Newton loved it, reading it over and over again.
Shaftesbury, a deist, wrote,
“Truth [is] no more than an opinion and every person must form their own”, and “follow the dictates of heart and mind wherever they led.”
The biographer, John Pollock, next wrote:
“Years later, Newton said that Shaftesbury’s book had operated like a slow poison” in his life.
Translation: following your heart (at the expense of following Christ’s heart) is a slow poison.
Stay with me.
The Great Physician offers a diagnosis of our heart through the prophet, Jeremiah:
“The heart is deceitful above all things; And it is extremely sick [with sin];…” – 17:9
Translation: We are (as C.S. Lewis called it) “bent” toward sin.
In other words,
No one had to teach any of us how to lie, hate, gossip, lust, be impatient or selfish, etc. It all came naturally.
To be clear, the Lord has purposefully planted deeply within us gifts and skill-sets. As a result, we have strong passions to “follow our heart” where these gifts are concerned. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that.
The “slow poison” finds its way into our lives when we ignore the “Giver of our passions,” leaving Him out of the equation. It’s what Solomon meant when he wrote,
“There is a way that seems right (to our heart), but in the end it leads to death.”
A chair, hammer, fuel injector, pen, umbrella, etc., were all designed with a specific purpose in mind.
So were you.
You’ll be amazed at how the Designer uses you when you, first, follow His heart.
“Seek first his kingdom and righteousness…” – (emphasis mine)
nw