The heart and the mouth

*warning: long post*

What do I worship?

I once heard a quote "People talk about what they worship". The bible talks about the heart allot, and the mouth too...and how they are so connected. Out of the mouth flows the issues of the heart. It makes me stop and think: What is flowing out of my mouth?

Moving to a new place means you are in a space of 'getting to know' people at all times. There is no history and familiarity. Every conversation is an opportunity to either know someone, or be known. I'm acutely aware of listening to people. I take seriously the first things people talk about with me, because I'm trying to get to know them. And if you wanna get to know people...start by listening to them. Of course, people don't always share the deep things of themselves with you...especially during first conversations...however, first conversations give you the general 'jist' of a person's personality and sometimes passions. You hear what they like, love, and even worship. And in turn...they get to hear what flows from me. Ouch.

I recently met a sweet girl whom I was really interested in getting to know. Until she started to speak. She talked a LOT about her ministry. What she had done...who she had done it with, where, how many people...it was a bit like hearing a 'ministry resume' all night. I felt sad for her, because obviously she is hurting and broken, and finds her identity in what she does. But I was acutely listening for key words. Like "Jesus". And you know...the word Jesus never came out of her mouth once. Now listen...you don't have to gush about God like a crazy person to love Him...I'm not saying that. But out of the mouth comes the things of the heart....you talk about what you worship...what you love!

Ever seen a person in love? You can't get them to shut up! Or a person obsessed with something? I think that perhaps people talk about what they have first in their heart....because it's sitting at the top of the pile...rated #1...and the first thing to overflow when they open their mouths..

So...what then do I love? What do I worship?

Some people always wanna argue. Constantly picking a fight, or finding the error with what you say. They are argumentative....cause friction just to get a weird 'high' from it. I think the root is their deep desire to be right...to have worth. But is that desire the thing they hold above all else?

What about people who are always negative? No matter how wonderful something is...they always find the negative (or potentially negative) part of it and highlight that above everything else. "What a beautiful day! (I hope I don't get sunburned!)". Many sentences that start with "I hope that..." always followed by what they fear. Where is that person's heart? Certainly not living in a place of peace and trust. But instead, worshipping fear and anxiety.

We can make an idol of anything. And we spend our time thinking about it, pondering it, tending to it, talking about it....fretting, hoping, dreaming, planning, plotting. Wow. Soon we wake up (I wake up!) and voila...I've created a golden calf of the very thing I never wanted to worship.

The question I have a lot is "How?". If I see that something has become the 'thing' I talk about most...how do I change it? It's all good and well to preach about what's wrong with us...but what's the answer? How do we make the switch in our brain to "agree to give up our idol"?

Well...perhaps I can start with following every 'idol' thought with a giant "NO! I'm not going there..." and replace it with a statement of truth.

I love the scripture that says "Praise the Lord, Oh my soul!" This is a command to our soul! This verse indicates to me that perhaps this was a soul that was NOT in a place of proper worship. We can speak to our soul...and send the command! "Hey Soul....this is the situation. We are NOT going this direction. We are CHOOSING to set ourselves before the Lord...and you are going to come into line with this truth!" Its the mind and spirit (the part of you that communes with God) making a decision...and declaring that the soul (your personality and will) come into agreement with Truth.

Just things I'm pondering this week....