Proverbs 4:23 says “Above all else guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”
I am not a preacher; I do not want to confuse anyone out there. What I am is a woman with a heart bigger than my head! I don’t say that in a negative tone at all! My big heart is my most valuable asset.
I love, love. I love the feeling of love, the meaning of it! Everything about love creates an overflow in my cup!
Please don’t minimize the definition of the word love to a romantic feeling. Love is the energy that breathes breath into us every morning when we rise. Love is our eyesight and our hearing! Love is the sun rising at the beginning of every new day here on this planet.
Everything we know is derived from love because God IS love. Everything he has created and everything he continues to create is from the infinite source of love that he has for each and every one of us.
Unconditional Self Love
I was trying to find a scripture on Self-Love in the bible, and that is where I ran across Proverbs 4:23. “Above all else guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” The use of the word guard in this scripture is watch over in order to protect or control. The question is how do we protect without building walls? How do we guard without hardening our hearts?
To me, the answer is simple in its explanation but hard as ever to carry out on a consistent basis. Especially after we have experienced hurt or pain or some type of disappointment. The answer is to practice loving ourselves and other people as God loves us, which is unconditional.
Love in our generation is always based on a “what can you do for me?”, or “how does this benefit me?” type of agreement, and as long as that person or thing is making you happy and not breaking any of your “conditions” you give them your love in return. Then as soon as they hurt you or fall short of one of the conditions, you snatch your love away like my dog snatches the table food from my hands! You really have to sit back and think…
Is that really love? Is that the same energy that woke me up this morning after all the mistake I made yesterday? Is it the same as the love that allowed me to see when I opened my eyes after taking my sight for granted almost every single day?
It’s not real love if you are looking for something in return.
Understanding and practicing unconditional self love is the only way, you can protect your heart. It may sound like a for sure way to get disappointed too, but trust me on this. Unconditional self love keeps you from hating people, seeking revenge, and holding grudges and animosity towards others which destroys your heart and creates walls that make you incapable of fully receiving love from others.
Unconditional self love keeps you free; it allows you to forgive as God forgives us every single day. So when we are told to protect it, we have to understand what we are protecting it from, which is anything unloving.
Every thought we think, every word and every emotion we feel begins in our hearts. That is why we must protect it! You are responsible for the type of person you become, not the heartbreak you’ve endured, or the wrongs that people have committed against you. In the end, God judges us by our hearts.
Don’t allow society and “the culture” to turn your heart cold. Protect it with every bone in your body! Protect it with prayer, patience, kindness and most importantly unconditional self love!
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Tiera Lowe
iera has also spent the majority of her adult life working to serve others. She is the Founder of Evolve Beautifully LLC which is a life coaching and life reconstruction company. She has created a series of interactive Self- Love Journals, that provide inspiration and instruction to women battling self-hate and insecurities. You can find some of her videos on tierarochelle.com and on Instangram.
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