Does Your Heart Know the Way?

When author Patricia Polacco was on campus for the Plum Creek Literacy festival earlier this year, she said something that struck me and that I held near and dear until I read a devotion the other day.

Her quote was, (and she also wrote this in my autographed book):

“Follow your heart. It has always known the way.”

But I read a devotion the other day by LHM and wondered if it really does know the way.

The following excerpt struck me:

After all, while the heart can be a powerful tool to guide our lives along the Lord's path and while it can tell us the right thing to do, there are also times it can mislead us.

The bottom line is this: sometimes our heart's dream is right; sometimes it may be deceiving, and at other times the Lord may have another, completely different plan for us.

Well I know Jesus loves me and lives in my heart, so it does always know the way right?

Well, not exactly. While our heart may think it knows the way, only God knows the way. 

And if my heart really led the way the whole time and I was able to go all the places and do all the things it wanted me to do, I don't think I'd be the same person I am today.

I've had so many dreams "deferred" (thank you, Langston Hughes), and it was always the way I wanted things to be. Never once did I ever consider what God wanted for me. 

...And what was really best for me....

While sometimes my heart thinks it knows the way, and I like the idea of where it wants to go, I know that only God knows the way.

And I can only live each day one day at a time, because of this illness, I have become more comfortable in trusting God and understanding that His way is always best, even though it may not line up with the way the heart wants to go.

The devotion I referred to earlier closed with these few lines:

We need to measure our will alongside the Lord's revealed Word. When we do that, the Lord can instruct us, direct us and bring us into harmony with Him.

When our heart is in harmony and being directed by God, we will know what needs to be done. Even more importantly, we know what He has done and the sacrifice He has made in the sending of His Son to be our ransom from sin, death and devil.

I'm working on getting my heart in tune with God. It's not easy. But I have no idea where I am going. And neither does my heart.

But the one who knows the right path for me is leading me to the best place imaginable and that's very comforting.

My heart trusts in God for guidance. And I think with that in mind, it does know the way. And I will follow it.