Follow Your Heart

Follow your heart.

We’ve all heard, read, or thought about that three word phrase at some point.

It’s right up there with pursuing your dreams.

We’ve seen it on t-shirts, Instagram posts, and on someone’s wall or shelf. It’s been said to us, actually, encouraged, at some point between birth and now, and more than a few times. Maybe we’ve even reminded ourselves daily to give it one more shot.

A quick Google image search will give you plenty of empty romantic sentiments to help you feel better, find your soulmate, or follow that big dream that you’ve got swirling in your head. (Now, don’t think for a second that I’m incapable of being romantic or that I don’t have dreams. My marriage game is strong! And, “like all you lovely folks, I’ve got a dream”… Points for you if you know the reference.)

But why is it so catchy? Why is it perpetuated? Why does it make us feel good

Etymology

Where does the phrase “follow your heart” come from? Frankly, it’s unclear. Again, do a Google search and you’ll get a slew of answers. But I’ve done the hard work so you don’t have to.

Basically, just follow or trust your feelings. That’s the super-boiled-down basic definition.

It might even bring to mind the phrase, “To thine own self be true” from Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Which is much akin to what my grandfather used to tell me, “You’ve got to look out for number one.”

Whatever the origin of the phrase, despite its dreamy sounding, live-your-best-life, shoot-for-the-stars quality… it’s fatally flawed at best.

The Fatal Flaw

While following your heart may sound good as you pursue some desired relationship, a dream job (or dream in general), or make major career and life changes, it really sets us up to fall.

At this point, you probably have an idea about where this is going, but stick with me.

Admittedly, the phrase sounds good on the surface. It denotes images of chasing big dreams or making moves when others say you can’t.

But here comes the flaw… You.

Yep.

You. Me. We’re the flaw.

We as humans tend to like ourselves, whether we admit it or not. And the phrase only points us inward to what we feel.

Now, feelings are not bad. I believe that we are created with the ability to feel many emotions and have been given hearts and minds that want go and do a great many things.

However, following our hearts is dangerous.

Danger Zone

If the Bible is true, then trusting and following our hearts is a potentially lethal game.

Here are a few verses for reference:

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick (or incurable); who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9)

“… the hearts of the children of man are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead.” (Ecclesiastes 9:3)

“And [Jesus] said, ‘What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.’” (Mark 7:20-23)

Now, that’ll just make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

But the indictment is true. Our hearts are flawed. Desperately so.

We’ll chase almost anything under the sun.

We’ll follow our heart to our heart’s content. (Let that one sink in for a minute.)

But it doesn’t work. There will always be something else that our heart longs for. Something else that stirs our feelings just a little bit more.

So, is there hope for our hearts?

The Hope

Fortunately, there is hope for us and our ever-searching hearts.

It won’t be in that new gig or Etsy upstart. It won’t be that relationship that you feel completes you. It won’t be moving to the mountains of Colorado for a change of pace and scenery.

The hope for our hearts is only found in and through the person of Jesus Christ.

The peace, joy, fulfillment, meaning, and belonging that we desire is not found in following our hearts. It comes when we (here’s the scary word) submit our lives, our hopes and dreams, our hearts to God through Jesus and allow the Holy Spirit to begin reshaping us.

We all have the choice to accept or reject. Nobody encounters Jesus and walks away in some neutrally grey area.

You, Friend, have an eternal decision.

And for you, brother or sister, you have a daily choice.

Just remember, there is hope, but it’s not found within ourselves or by following our hearts.