I recently moved. Got a new roommate, which came with a dog. My life is exponentially more exciting than when I lived alone and petless. None of that really matters, however. The point here is my roomie loves all things girly: glitter, sparkles, dressing up, fashion. As a result, her ministry heart is really teenage girls. She works in the advertising/marketing world, even interning with a big magazine in NYC, and has noticed a lack of "girly" resources for teenage girls. We remember growing up with a magazine for Christian girls put out by a famous ministry which was supposed to be the Christian-friendly version of Seventeen or Teen Vogue. That magazine no longer exists. So, my roommate has started her own. It's in the very beginning stages, but I have such high hopes for its success! Being my roommate she is obligated to let me write for it (I put it on the lease conditions!), and being her roommate, I am trying to garner support for it. So, today I am giving you a sneak peek into the first article I have written for Etching Hearts. And, when I say sneak peek I mean it; this article hasn't even been published yet and the site probably won't even go completely live until January!
(Don’t)
Admittedly I
am a little old for the neon, graphic, loose fitting tank top craze that
seemingly swept the nation this summer.
I may or may not have had a neon tank top with matching scrunchie and
slap bracelet circa 1989. My friend
Cathy has a rule, if you wore it the first time it was popular, you can’t wear
it when everything old is new again. So,
I abstain. However, unless you live
under a rock, I am sure you have taken notice of these tanks. One of the cliché catch phrases I see faux
spray painted on glowing yellow is “Follow your Heart.” You know the one I am talking about, right? It seems to be a pretty popular sentiment
that our culture begins teaching girls at a young age. Disney’s Pocahantas
tells us to “Listen with your heart, and you will understand.” Cinderella
II’s theme song is entitled, “Follow your Heart.” The
Land Before Time, not even a princess movie, tells kids, “Let your heart
guide you. It whispers, so listen
closely.” I found this on pinterest:
Funny,
right? But perhaps more than funny, the
joke is actually on to something. Is
following your heart the answer to all of your dreams coming true? (Okay, if there were dark chocolate brownies
and vanilla gelato in that fridge, well, it may have led me to the fulfillment
of all of my wishes!) Have you seen
those “Caution: Danger Ahead” road signs?
I really want to carry a few of those around to covertly slap on the
back of the “Follow your Heart” tanks…you know, like the mean kids always did
with “kick me” signs in elementary school.
Because really, here’s the truth girls:
You CANNOT trust your hearts!
As believers
we should always test the advice we are given against the Word of God. Don’t let anyone tell you there are no absolute
truths in this world, because God’s Word is just that…absolute truth. It can absolutely be trusted, in every
situation, for all time! The Bible has a
lot to say about our hearts. Perhaps the
most relevant to our current fashion discussion is one found in the book of
Jeremiah. Jeremiah was a prophet writing
to the nation of Judah, God’s chosen people, warning them of the dangers of
turning from God, but also reminding them of the promised blessings if they
would follow Him. Not to mention,
following God, obedience, faithfulness, that was always for Judah’s own good
anyway. As a Christ follower, YOU are
God’s chosen daughter. Following God
with your whole heart, obedience, faithfulness, will always be for your own
good. So, listen carefully to the words
in Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately
wicked; who can know it?” Hmmm, how much
trust do you place in someone described as deceitful above all things and
desperately wicked?? How far would you
be willing to follow that person? I
wouldn’t follow a person like that as far as I could throw him.
There are many
Christian traditions that begin their prayer services with a general prayer of
confession found in the Book of Common
Prayer. Part of the confession is as
follows, “We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own
hearts. We have offended against Thy
holy laws.” See the progression? Following the devices and desires of our own
deceitful hearts often leads us to offending God’s holy laws.
Thankfully,
God did not leave us without anything to follow. Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us to, “…lean not on your
OWN understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and HE shall direct your
steps.” (emphasis mine) Our road map is the Word of God. It is useful for teaching, rebuking,
correcting, and training in righteousness according to II Timothy 3:16. When we fill our hearts and our minds with
the Word of God, with His absolute truth, then we can trust HIM. I know back to school time is super busy…no
really, I know, because I am a teacher!
All of that work you are doing, well I am grading it, times twenty
students. However, you cannot afford to
get so busy that you neglect the Word of God.
If you already have a set aside time each day to spend alone with God
and His Word, let this be an encouragement to you to continue. If you don’t, I hope this encourages you to
start. Find a good devotional podcast to
download and listen to as you ride the bus or drive to school. Get up ten minutes earlier and spend some
time reading the Word and singing some praise songs. Write down a Scripture verse on a notecard,
tape it to your bathroom mirror, and commit to memorize it during the week. Do SOMETHING to infiltrate your heart and mind
DAILY with God’s Word. Your heart may
lead you on a path to the fridge, or worse, but “all the paths of the Lord are
steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and His
testimonies.” (Psalm 25:10)
Resources:
Jeremiah 17:9 and Proverbs 3:5-6 taken from
NKJV
II Timothy 3:16 taken from the NIV
Psalm 25:10 taken from the ESV
Book
of Common Prayer (not copyrighted and can be
freely reproduced)
