Way past the appearances and impressions we try to leave,
Behind the masks and attempts to please the critical and excite the vain –
Beyond the insiders’ lingo and bless-to-impress,
There rests a true heart.
Your heart. My heart.
Authentic, insofar as we can know it without being deceived by it.
Wiser, it seems, than we often give it credit for being.
More terrified at times than we would ever let on.
More prayerful than we often realize…
More ruthlessly demanding that we care to admit in polite company.
Gloriously free from what we used to be – yet humbly aware of how far we have to go.
It’s there – deep in the heart – that we know things without having to prove them to anybody.
It’s there that we find our harshest critic and biggest fan.
It’s there that we hear things – eternal things – whispered in the silences by a still, small Voice.
It’s there that we speak things for no one else to hear but ourselves.
Deep in my heart I know that I have been blessed far more than I deserve, and how thankless I can be nonetheless.
Deep in my heart I see those nagging empty places dominated by God-sized dreams yet to be realized and impotent dreams that long ago came true.
Deep in my heart I tug against (and with) life in a material world – the allure of more, and the bondage of wanting more.
Deep in my heart I revere those extraordinary people who have touched my life as the finest tokens of grace and most precious exhibits of love.
I am free – and deep in my heart I see it. I am loved – and deep in my heart I know it.
Deep in my heart are memories of mountains climbed and the deep satisfaction of a mission accomplished and a “Well done” declared.
Deep in my heart are treasures yet to be found – and the steadfast confidence that God has written my name on some of those treasures because only I can find them.
Deep in my heart is a haunting ache that the greatest accomplishments and treasures in this life are meaningless if there is no one to share them with and No One to glorify in the process.
Deep in my heart is the humbling realization of how lost I would be without the faithful, unconditional love of God.
I am free – and deep in my heart I feel it. I am loved – and deep in my heart I know it.
Deep in my heart fear calls – reminding me of how big the world is, how fragile life is, and how small I am in the face of it.
Deep in my heart faith answers, however clumsily – declaring that in Him is life, and that life is the light of men.
Deep in my heart futility beckons – reminding me that life is painful and hearts need shielding and it’s just not worth the risk to make myself vulnerable.
Deep in my heart freedom answers – declaring that in Him the curse of futility is broken, and that hope is the birthright of every believer in this life.
I am free – and deep in my heart I believe it. I am loved – and deep in my heart I know it.
Deep in my heart I fear the unraveling of all of the things I strive to control.
Deep in my heart I know better – that control is an illusion, and self-protection is not my job.
Deep in my heart I press into the lie that all my dreams are important.
Deep in my heart I know the truth – that some dreams just don’t matter, and some are more precious than gold.
I am free – and deep in my heart I cherish it. I am loved – and deep in my heart I know it.