Matters of the Heart
I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting upon hearing some really happy yet emotionally disturbing news on Monday night. Well, it was part of the reason why I couldn’t sleep, apart from the caffeine. Quite an oxymoron, isn’t it? Wonderful yet emotionally distressing news.
Having such mixed feelings got me pondering upon the functional dichotomy of the heart and the mind. I wasn’t really going to talk about it, but I came across some relevant material in John Eldredge’s book Waking Up the Dead today, and that was a sign that this was something worth sharing about.
The mind is analytical. It’s where we get our rational thoughts from. It feeds on facts and processes it, giving us answers based on its input. On the other hand, the heart is where emotions are evaluated. It also takes in facts, but processes it in a different way. The heart is what makes us human. It gives us traits like mercy, compassion, anger and hope.
When faced with a situation where decisions are involved, it’s always important to utilize not only our brains but also to evaluate our heart as well. Acting solely on the hard facts causes us to lose our faith, stop believing or become really mean people. On the other hand, it isn’t the best idea to react solely on the prompting of your heart. That would be being too emotional and reckless.
Proof that the combination of both influences is pertinent can be found in the Bible. When asked what he wanted from God, King Solomon asked for a wise and discerning heart (1 Kings 3:9). He went on to be the wisest and richest king in history.
Intelligence is using your head. Wisdom on the other hand is using of both your heart and your mind.
Having such mixed feelings got me pondering upon the functional dichotomy of the heart and the mind. I wasn’t really going to talk about it, but I came across some relevant material in John Eldredge’s book Waking Up the Dead today, and that was a sign that this was something worth sharing about.
The mind is analytical. It’s where we get our rational thoughts from. It feeds on facts and processes it, giving us answers based on its input. On the other hand, the heart is where emotions are evaluated. It also takes in facts, but processes it in a different way. The heart is what makes us human. It gives us traits like mercy, compassion, anger and hope.
When faced with a situation where decisions are involved, it’s always important to utilize not only our brains but also to evaluate our heart as well. Acting solely on the hard facts causes us to lose our faith, stop believing or become really mean people. On the other hand, it isn’t the best idea to react solely on the prompting of your heart. That would be being too emotional and reckless.
Proof that the combination of both influences is pertinent can be found in the Bible. When asked what he wanted from God, King Solomon asked for a wise and discerning heart (1 Kings 3:9). He went on to be the wisest and richest king in history.
Intelligence is using your head. Wisdom on the other hand is using of both your heart and your mind.
posted by Mike Ng at 8:01 PM
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