If you travel from the USA to Australia you discover it is very far away. You fly for hours and hours without stopping. In fact, if your airplane kept on flying past Australia you would soon be heading back home again from the other direction. But the flight to Australia is not the longest distance in the world. Do you know what is?
It is the distance from your head to your heart.
In the first 18 years of our lives we are encouraged and conditioned to fill our heads with more and more knowledge. But knowledge, even biblical knowledge, is not the same thing as wisdom, is it? Wisdom is the ability to take what we know and successfully apply it to bring about desired change – in our lives and in the world around us. Our head knows we shouldn’t eat too many fatty foods and should exercise more. Our mind knows that keeping a positive outlook is beneficial. But to invoke a change action, the head and the heart must be engaged together.
It is as true in our spiritual life as it is in our eating habits. You can repeat over and over how much you want to be better, live better, or love better. But as long as your heart is persuaded by other motives, you have only gained knowledge, not the wisdom that changes life. You can say, “I should spend more time with God,” but as long as it remains some extra thing you try to work into your mind’s busy schedule, transformational change won’t happen.
And so how do we connect the head and the heart? Here are some practical suggestions:
1. Reflect on God’s character (His power, love, compassion, patience, etc) as it is revealed in your life.
2. Ask Him to show you ways to intentionally reflect His character in your every day interactions.
3. Commit to memory bible verses that address His character.
4. Picture yourself living out each verse at home, at work, where you shop, etc.
5. Repeat your memory verses throughout the day, every day until it speaks deeply to your heart. Ask others to hold you accountable.
6. Think of the verse as an essential part of who you are and who you are becoming.
7. Personalize the verse. “For it is by grace (I) have been saved, through faith—and this is not from (myself), it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can.
You can shorten the longest distance in the world. Connect your head and your heart in everything you do.
“Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.” Proverbs 28:26
