“Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” – Proverbs 4:23
Do you remember a movie a few years ago, The Horse Whisperer, or perhaps you read the bestselling novel by Nicholas Evans on which the movie was based? It’s a story about a horse that had been deeply wounded emotionally in a tragic accident and a man who came along with an incredible gift for connecting with horses who was able to restore the horse back to health. The story almost seems too farfetched to be true that a man could communicate with an animal at such a deep level. But based on some things I’ve learned about both horses and humans it is not out of the realm of possibility at all.
Over the past several months I’ve had the opportunity to attend two different workshops that involved actively working with horses. What I’ve learned about these magnificent animals is that they are creatures of the “heart”; that is, they think and respond with their heart rather than their “heads” as we humans are prone to do, which makes them extraordinarily sensitive to the emotions and feelings of human beings. Therefore, like the horse whisperer, people who work well with horses are those who are able to connect with the horse’s heart, thus allowing the horse to connect with and trust the human heart.
While these experiences have taught me a great deal about horses, it has taught me even more about humans and importance of the heart. It has affirmed for me what I have believed for a long time, that while we humans have been given a tremendous capacity for knowledge – which, by the way, we should all pursue with a vengeance throughout our lifetimes – it is the heart, our feelings of love and desire that dictates more than anything how we live and the choices we make. It is essential, therefore, that we must be careful to guard our heart to ensure it is fully engaged, and that it is focused on taking us down the right path.
So let me urge you to ask yourself this. When you come to the end of this life, what will have mattered most, your possessions, wealth, knowledge, achievements? Or will it be those things that are of the heart? Then consider the wisdom of the Proverb: “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”