Proverbs 27:19 (MSG)
“Just as water mirrors your face, so your face mirrors your heart.”
A while ago, I met up with two friends and both were having issues in their relationships. One was struggling with whether to remain in his marriage, and the other was frustrated because her significant other was reluctant to get married after being together three years. Neither of my friends were happy and their faces told the whole story.
Proverbs 27:19 tells us that just as water will reflect our face, our faces will reflect what is in our hearts. Sometimes what is in our hearts is a lot of hurt and confusion about the relationships that mean the most to us. We want them to last, but the other person isn’t who we hoped they’d be, and we don’t know what to do with the disappointment. Should we stay and try to make things work, or should we cut our losses and hope for a better future with someone else?
Society’s proverbial wisdom says, “Do what is in your heart.” We hear things like, “Let your heart be your guide.” This isn’t the wisdom that God teaches in His Word. Jeremiah 17:9(NLT) tells us, “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?” So, letting our hearts govern our decisions is never a wise choice. In fact, it can lead to very unsatisfactory results. Our Heavenly Father tells us in Proverbs 3:5-6 to trust in Him with all our hearts. He tells us not to lean on our own understanding but seek His Will in all that we do. When this is our practice, He promises to direct and show us which path to choose.
The heart that God speaks about in Jeremiah 17:9 isn’t referring to the one that pumps blood throughout our physical bodies. He’s informing us about the heart that is the seat of our being. It’s the one that we can’t hold in our hands, but our hearts are so essential to our relationship with God that He tells us every ounce of it must be dedicated to loving and trusting Him. 2Timothy 2:22(NLT) tells us, “Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts.” Purity of heart leads to happiness and having this kind of heart should be our greatest ambition because it pleases God.
2Corinthians 9:8 teaches us that God is our sufficiency. He knows everything, and rather than trying to figure out things on our own, He tells us to seek Him with all our hearts. We need to do this even when we’re disappointed or betrayed by someone we trusted to be in our corners. Sometimes, it isn’t all about what they’ve done, but how we’ve responded to what they’ve done. Just as our hearts are reflected on our faces, our significant others are a mirror for us as well. They reflect that we need to renew our minds and put on more of God’s love. We need to be the change we want to see.
To tell someone to let go of a relationship when they’re not ready is almost always a useless exercise. Likewise, to convince someone they are ending a relationship unwisely and without the counsel of God is also sometimes just as futile. People have their own way of thinking and processing emotions, but if they are not motivated out of a heart that is full of the love of Christ, they can set themselves back big time. God’s Word tells us in Ephesians 4:32(NLT),“Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.” This is God standard, and it must govern the way we treat all our brothers and sisters in Christ, including those that have disappointed us.■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“Your Face Mirrors Your Heart”, written by Kim Times, edited by Fran Mack and KLizzie for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2024. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.