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Guard Your Heart

             My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body. Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil. (Proverbs 4:20-27)

                Back to Proverbs and wisdom. On the side opposite of avoiding bad company, Proverbs explores the theme of adopting good character traits. Ellen Davis lists discipline, obedience, and fear. The ancient Greeks listed the four cardinal virtues as prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance, all of which fit nicely into discipline, obedience, and fear. Historically, Christians added faith, hope, and love. All of them are characteristics that aren’t generally mature in most people. Even those who seem naturally to have one (or more) figured out from birth lack others. Sometimes, some other characteristic (e.g. cowardice) may impersonate one of these (e.g. prudence). Sometimes, what we think is a high degree of X is only a high degree compared to someone else’s. Or a low degree compared to someone else’s. One person’s strength compared to another’s weakness doesn’t really tell us either how strong or how weak they are.

                Today’s passage supports all those character traits. The writer’s advice is fairly simple:

·       *      Guard your heart,

·        *      Keep your mouth free of perversity,

·         *     Don’t get distracted,

·         *     Use our head

These all involve discipline, obedience, fear, and all the other virtues listed above. They require self-defense (not against people, but against ideas, distractions, etc.) and self-control, which is self-defense in cases where you’re your own worst enemy. Too often, we’re like a dog that sees a “Squirrel!” or Dorrie from “Finding Nemo.” Let’s try it. Make a good decision in line with these bits of direction and practice it for the day, or for five minutes in a day. Extend the practice tomorrow, and keep going until you’re in the habit of doing one of them. 

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