Guarding our Hearts

    I've just finished reading 'Waking the Dead' by John Eldredge. I really enjoy his books - I seem to really connect with what he's writing about, like it's exactly what my heart and mind are wondering about and are in need of hearing. In 'Waking the Dead' Eldredge tells us that our hearts are good, not sinful and wicked like we think we're supposed to believe. God has given us new hearts. Yes we still have old, sinful habits and the enemy attacks are disguised like the thoughts of our own hearts, but basically we need to believe that our hearts are good, that they matter to God, that they are the treasures of the Kingdom and that we desperately need to look after them if we're going to live out the life of joyful abundance that Jesus came to bring us.
   Eldredge really brought home to me the reality of Satan's attacks on my heart and his desire to steal my joy. I'm going to try to pray through his daily prayer for freedom for the next couple of weeks and try to be more alert for enemy attacks. Recently I've been feeling quite depressed, discourage and depleted. Perhaps life is not meant to be like that! Perhaps having three small children at home doesn't mean inevitable drudgery and an endless succession of mundane, thankless tasks. Perhaps someone is trying to crush my spirit and steal my joy. Perhaps someone is jealous that I reflect the glory of God because I am made in His image. Perhaps someone is trying to make me miss out on the reality of eternal, wonderful, joyful life in Jesus.
   The other day, when I was living out this new understanding, someone commented that I looked more beautiful, more radiant. I want to look like that every day! I like the images Eldredge has in his book taken from Epic stories and films. I too want to be like Eowyn and Arwen in Lord of the Rings - beautiful, warrior princesses, whose lives make a difference for the kingdom. If you're a follower of Jesus and reading this post, perhaps I can encourage you to join me in guarding our hearts and living out the joyful, Spirit-filled lives that were meant to be ours.