©2006, Lionel Thompson
Our hearts are like gardens
Our thoughts are like seeds
Our passions, the life pushing up through the leaves
Our vows and our values the canopy trees
Our actions the flowers and fruit they bequeath
… So then, be careful what you think
A number of years ago I was sitting across from my friend in a bar in Switzerland. We were having a great conversation and smoking one cigarette after another. On my 10th cigarette or so I inhaled deeply, very much enjoying the serene enchanted setting. Then out of nowhere came a loud silent voice which said, “This is the temple of the Holy Spirit!” One major difference between the Christian belief and all other world views / philosophies / religions is the concept of God’s Holy Spirit living within the hearts of those who surrender their lives to Jesus and choose to follow Him. Instead of God being distant from us or an external being which we struggle to tune in to, He’s actually within us. These past couple of weeks, in my quest to hear God better, this elementary concept of God in my heart, and thus my heart being good, has been revolutionizing. For one, I’ve always thought of my heart as being like a butcher shop - in constant need of clean up / sanitation - lot’s of blood and concealed bits of raw meat swept beneath the cabinets. In other words I saw my heart as being something to get away from, especially when trying to tune in to God. Another way to say it is I’ve been pressing my ear up against the television to hear the radio - striving to tune into the skies when I really needed to tune into my own heart. And here’s what so cool about it: Everyone can think, live, breath, work out of their ‘heart’ and thus never leave the presence of God.
