Heart to Mouth

How are you?

Those three words have become a polite exchange after "Hi". Most of us, most often reply with a response like, "I'm good." "Fine." "Not too bad." "Can't complain."

It's an automatic response.

But how are you? Really, how are you? Would you know? Do you know? Could you express it?

If I'm in a place of sadness, anger, frustration, irritation, contemplation, or even overwhelmed, I'm one who spins a positive narrative. I'll see what's going on in someone else and then my issue doesn't seem as important. Or I'll downplay it because I'm still internalizing. Sometimes, I don't even know what I'm feeling.

What happens, to me, is I think I have it under control or working through it, but what I am thinking, feeling, or internalizing comes out at the most inconvenient time. It just bursts out with a short or curt comment and I'm as surprised as the other person. I have a friend who says literally anything she thinks at any time, anywhere. It is the literal opposite end of the spectrum compared to the way I handle what I think and feel. When that happens, time for a check up. Right?

As I gracefully age and enter into the phase of life that I am doing continual heart work and want to grow beyond my self (ish) side and live by the Spirit (Holy), I realized something. Probably over 90% of the time, I was trying to live out a behavior or what the world deems an appropriate response.

By the time something pops out of my heart or thoughts and I speak, I'm too late.

Matthew 12:34 Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.

Matthew 15:18 What comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart and defiles a person.

Augustine's prayer was " Grant, Lord, that I may know myself that I may know Thee."

We learn about God through the Word and personal relationship. Knowing God and knowing myself are interrelated. I cannot truly know myself without knowing who God is. In turn, I can look deeper at myself from how he sees me.

Invitation.

The more you learn about others through relationship, the more you learn about yourself. It can be work. It can be fun. It can be exhausting. It can be new and different. It is always relationship which requires me to be relational.

What do God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit think about each other? What do they think about you? What do you think about each one of them? What do you think about you?

They know themselves. God says about himself that He is love. In Exodus 34:6 he speaks about himself, "The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. Do you know when he said this? This is after Moses got so angry with the Israelites for making the golden calf that he broke the tablets with the commandments that God hand wrote for him. And that was God's response.What comes out of my mouth in any form of stress is a clue to where I am in my heart.

Proverbs 4:23 TPT So above all, guard the affections of your heart, for they affect all that you are. Pay attention to the welfare of your innermost being, for from there flows the wellspring of life.

So who are you? Where is your heart? How would you describe yourself? How would God describe you?

If you need some assistance or would like to learn more about you, at Keys to Whole Living we recommend Enneagram Basics, a course on the uniquely created you through the lens of Jesus Christ. It can be found at keystowholeliving.com.

Getting Personal,

KTWL