Factory of our heart

http://jeremysalexander.wordpress.com/2012/02/12/the-factory-of-our-heart/

The Factory of Our Heart
12
Sunday
Feb 2012
Posted by Jeremy Alexander in Life, Theology ≈ 1 Comment
There are some things you learn in life by the mere fact of living. The longer we live, the more we learn about ourselves, the world we inhabit, and God who has created us. At least in theory, unfortunately we don’t often take time to think about what we’re learning in life because we don’t take enough time to reflect. The last two weeks have been a time of reflection for me and here are some thoughts – I offer them as a way to encourage and challenge.



I did not grow up in a home that did family devotions, but my father was in the Navigators, so thought scripture memory was important (especially since God’s Word is what will remain forever). I remember time my father intentionally spent with my brother and I memorizing scripture. One passage that sticks out to me even now is Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” Simple enough right – it means we’re all pretty bad off and need redemption. Well, there’s more to it then that. This is not just some insight into mankind in general; rather, it’s a deep truth about each of us as individuals.

John Calvin claimed that the heart is a idol factory, churning out false gods to worship constantly. As humans, our hearts love to make idols and chase after so many things we think will give us meaning or purpose. We’re like a modern factory with its smoke stacks going all day long producing new things to love and worship. Often I’ve found myself not believing the goodness, sovereignty and love of God. Instead I find myself running to other things that my idol factory of a heart can create. More often than not, this is done without even realizing it, because my heart is deceitful and difficult to understand.

Combine this with another realization I’ve come to. Over the years, I’ve had the great privilege to know some people who, by the worlds standards, are “challenged” or “special”. Most of the time the world tells us that people who have special needs are broken and to be pitied and shown compassion or sympathy. And in some ways this is true, but I think there’s more to it. As I reflect on my own life and heart I realize that these people in my life are a blessing and teach me so much.

You see I’ve come to realize that they’re not the ones who are challenged, I am. Their not the ones who are broken, I am. It’s my pride, my sense of self-importance, my thoughts of being healthy and able to be used by God, that betrays the depth of my brokenness. One of these friends has become a refreshing wind of God’s grace in my life. His eyes, which show compassion without judgement, his speech forces me to slow down and listen rather than talk, his physical posture and crying out in worship shows me my own stiff-necked ways – all of this challenges my idol factory heart and mind.

With all appearances of having life put together, the reality is I’m the broken and challenged in life. Maybe this is what Paul meant when he challenged the believers at Corinth – “has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?” (I Cor. 1:20) and “we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us” (II Cor. 4:7). Maybe the church would be better off if we would all see the reality of our brokenness and the deceitfulness of our idol making hearts – I know I would.