Don't Trust Your Heart
Good Morning,
One thing that has always intrigued me is the question of why really smart people make some really dumb decisions? Why do otherwise rational and intelligent individuals do some very irrational, stupid things? The answer is often that they trusted their heart.
The problem is rarely a lack of information or data. The problem lies in the fact that we are not on a quest for truth; we tend to be on a quest for happiness. We tend to wake up in the morning and seek what will make us happy. In general, our quest for happiness trumps our quest for truth.
So, when happiness points one way, but truth, wisdom and common sense point another way, that is usually when things begin to go haywire. Not only that, we have become exceptionally good at rationalizing just why our happiness is a perfectly valid reason for doing what we are doing. We do this because most of us have a difficult time leveling with ourselves; telling ourselves the truth.
The prophet Jeremiah had watched a seemingly smart King, Jehoiakim, make some incredibly bad leadership choices; choices ignorant of the truth and of the historical record of his nation. In Jeremiah 17:9 he writes this aphorism: The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? You may think that is too broad a statement, but the record of mankind bears it out as true. The heart is good for pumping blood through our bodies, but as a decision-making device it is lacking. That is why God gave us a better decision-making tool – our brains.
Andy Stanley makes this statement: “The truth is, the heart can’t be trusted. The truth is, that if you let it, your heart will direct you down a path that leads to the very spot you most want to avoid.” I’ll admit this is a little hard to swallow, but that does not make it untrue. In contrast, the Scripture offers another decision-making guideline in John chapter 8 vs. 32 “And you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.”
When we have the courage to speak the truth to ourselves we will find ourselves at the threshold of freedom from the bad decisions our heart can lead us to. Here are a few questions you can ask yourself in this process.
- Why am I doing this?
- If someone in my circumstances came to me for advice, what course of action would I recommend?
- Considering my experience, my future hopes and dreams, will this take me in that direction?
If, after asking yourself these questions, you still make a poor decision, congratulations. You have done something few people have the courage to do – intentionally make a bad decision.
Live this week on purpose,
Ron Klopfenstein
(This series was inspired by the book The Principle of the Path, by Andy Stanley)
