Understanding How Our Inner Life Directs Our Destiny
“Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.” This ancient wisdom from Proverbs 4:23 reminds us just how crucial it is to pay attention to our inner world—our heart, our spirit, the core of who we are. In everyday terms, it means that the way we live, the choices we make, and how we react to the world all start from deep inside us, not from the circumstances around us.
The Heart: More Than Just an Organ
When we talk about the heart here, we don’t mean the organ that pumps blood. Instead, it’s that part of ourselves that drives us, organizes our thinking, and shapes our responses to life. Even if we don’t always realize it or try to deny it, each of us has a spirit—a deep, inner self that has been formed over time. How? Through our experiences and the choices we’ve made. These moments and decisions shape the kind of person we become, just like a river carves its path through a landscape.
Life Flows from Within
Our lives aren’t just the sum of what happens to us. Instead, they’re shaped by how we see the world and how we choose to act—both of which come from our hearts. When challenges or tough times come our way, our reactions don’t just “happen.” They spring from who we are deep inside. Most of the time, we don’t even fully understand what’s going on beneath the surface, but it’s there, quietly guiding our lives.
The Role of Choice and Responsibility
Sometimes, it’s easy to think that the big problems in the world—things like war, famine, and disease—just happen to us. But if we look closer, many of these tragedies can be traced back to human choices, both as individuals and as groups. Our decisions, coming from our hearts and spirits, shape not only our own lives but also the world around us. The same is true for the smaller, personal challenges we face. While we can’t always control what happens, we can control how we respond, and that power comes from within.
Cultivating and Transforming the Heart
The really good news is that our hearts aren’t stuck—they can change. The Bible is full of advice about how to become wise and strong on the inside. Jesus himself taught that when we focus on what matters most—seeking God’s ways and living with integrity—everything else will fall into place. He compared a wise person to someone who builds their house on rock: storms may come, but the house stands firm because it has a strong foundation.
So, the greatest need we have is not just to fix our circumstances, but to renovate our hearts. The spiritual part of us—the place where our outlook, choices, and actions come from—has been shaped by the world around us, but it can be reshaped for good. That’s our hope. The heart, once formed, can also be transformed.
Living from the Inside Out
In the end, watching over our heart means being mindful of what we let shape us. It’s about tending to our inner life just as carefully as we would care for a garden, knowing that everything we do flows from there. When we do this, with God’s help, we’re not just surviving the storms of life—we’re standing strong, and maybe even helping to change the world for the better, starting from within.
Minister A Francine Green
January 2026
afrancinegreen.com 