Proverbs 4:23

“Above all else guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”  New International Version (NIV)

As I was driving, my “service engine soon” light came on. I went into a state of panic, as a million reasons of why it could be on, filled my head. But, the only thought that always seems to win is, “OMG, my car is going to die”! This is not always the case, but I always hope for the absolute worst every time.

As I looked at the light, a thought popped into my mind. What if our bodies had a visible check engine light?

Just as the verse states, above all else, guard your heart….

Guard your heart from those things that hinder you, guard your heart from those things that will destroy your peace. Guard your heart, because even social media could be a distraction. Someone’s happy photos don’t lead you to realize that behind the scenes things could be totally different. Even for myself, I have been jealous of social media posts because another person’s life seemed better than my own. I became bitter and discontent, which is a shame because God has and continues to bless me beyond what I deserve. And, what tends to happen is that I try to do way more than what am I supposed to instead of staying in my own lane. Then I get burnt-out, and start blaming God when I had no right to be that way in the first place.

Your heart, like an engine, is from where everything flows. You don’t put just any kind of oil in your engine, i.e. you don’t put non-synthetic oil in your car when it requires full synthetic oil. You cant just put anything in your body because it’ll affect your heart. Everything that we eat, watch, etc., has a long-term affect on what we do. And, when things start going wrong, that engine light comes on, and the car starts to drive differently.  Your heart light comes on through: anger, complaining, jealousy, bitterness, you name it.

It is important to take care of your body, like it is important to take care of your car. Because at the end of the day, we know that it’s expensive to replace an engine, and we don’t have the time to replace our hearts physically, but we can do so spiritually. First and foremost, through prayer and obedience, allowing God to come in and change your mindset, your heart and your way of thinking and then taking the necessary steps to put this into motion. We can also listen to positive music; develop healthy and daily habits such as reading a book, doing your makeup or hair, going for a bike ride, etc. Even finding a quiet place to relax and reflect on life helps!

On a daily, we tend to get busier without realizing it and we take more care of others or things and we forget to take care of ourselves. Let’s challenge ourselves today to do one positive thing to help us along the way! Feel free to comment and let us know what you have done to create healthy positive routines and take care of yourself!

Thank you for who you are. God loves you and I love you, and we need you to stay in the fight!

-Breanna Rivera