My Heart.

A few days ago, all 4 kids piled in the car to run errands. We were driving down the street singing along with the CDs Doc made for us (because there isn't the selection of {contemporary} Christian music stations available here that we were used to back in the big city). There came a pause between songs and I heard Ladybug's little 4 year old voice from the seat behind me.
She said, to no one in particular, "When I grow up, I want a heart like Mommy's."
I said, "What made you think of saying that, Ladybug?"
She said, "I don't know. I was just thinking about it."

The next song started in and the conversation moved on to something else in the back. I drove on, kind of flattered, kind of convicted. I thought about my heart and hoped that the outpouring of the things in my heart are good. Jesus said, "The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks." (Luke 6:45 NIV84)

The natural question about all this is... how do our hearts become full of good or bad? If I want the outpouring of my heart to be good, how do I get good in there? Here's what I found from scripture...

Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. (Proverbs 4:23)

So, we must take an active roll in guarding our hearts and trying to only letting good things in. But, what does that look like? It made me think of this verse in Philippians 4:8...

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

I guess my mom was right when she used to tell me, "Trash in, trash out."

Back to the music we were listening to...we generally listen to Christian music but I love music. I don't even like to label music as "Christian" or "secular". To me, music is music, but I've found that whatever I have been listening to the day before, is the song I wake up with in my head the next morning. I think we do not realize how much our heart is a sponge that soaks up all the things we expose ourselves to. The thing about that sponge of a heart is that once the pressures of the world close in and we get squeezed, that stuff comes back out of our mouths. If I am constantly listening to angry music, playing violent video games, watching violent movies and hanging out with angry people,  then I'm going to react in a more angry way than I might have otherwise acted. And the opposite is true. If I am soaking up positive good things, my reactions will be more positive.

Now, let me clarify...I love a good James Bond movie. I have been known to break out in a rap from the 90's when it comes on the radio and I don't think that playing Halo will make you kill people. What I am talking about is when you go about your day, you can surround yourself with positive things, people and experiences and what will come out of you will be more positive.

The goal in my life is to be like Jesus. So if that is my goal, it seems like I need to be the bouncer at the door of my heart and let all those true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy things in to the party in my heart!

I hope so much that what Ladybug meant when she said she wants a heart like mine, is that she recognizes Jesus in her Mommy.