A brief note (at least it was supposed to be) on gaurding your heart. The Proverbs 4:23 passage warns us against gaurding our heart, many times we as Christians use that in talking about relationships and not giving our hearts away so quickly. I spent some time tonight reading the passage and its cross-references. I'm not so sure it is talking about relationships and I think it is more talking about the principle of what goes into your heart comes out of your mouth (Proverbs 10:11 and Luke 6:45).

BUT, my point is actually about relationships (imagine that). Although I can't think of a passage explaining a principle about it, I think it is wise not to give your heart away quickly. I have seen enough relationships in which one or both of the people in it have given so much of their hearts to the other person only to discover that it falls apart, and they leave the relationship broken-hearted. So obviously we see the validity in gaurding our own heart, but my point still hasn't arrived (getting there).

My point for the evening (morning) is that we should gaurd the hearts of those that we are gaurding our hearts from. What I mean is that we should be careful that we aren't leading people on. I have previously expressed my fear of the Trinity dating police, but what makes me so cautious is that I don't want to lead someone along and then not bring them to the place where they think I am leading them, i.e. dating. I know that this is a difficult thing to do since we can't read the other person's mind and they may interpret a simple smile as "she wants me". I guess the pragmatic part of this is that we shouldn't blatently lead people on, express your feelings (COMMUNICATION is the key), and enjoy the friendship. You can personally ask me any questions about this, as its a passion of mine to talk about relationships, dating, etc. I know this post isn't perfect or safe, but its good. peace out (publications?).