Guarding our Hearts

For several years, now, we have driven our minivan with the windshield washing fluid indicator light on. I’ve checked the level many times, and it is almost always near full. I’ve concluded that it must be a bad sensor and it is not worth worrying about or bothering to fix. (I don’t find that little yellow light annoying, I’ve just come to expect it.) Our emotions are like sensors on that dashboard display. They are indicators of how we feel. When we are hurt we feel angry; when we are disappointed we feel sad; and when we reach a goal, we feel satisfied. When we respond properly to our emotions, we grow in maturity. If we overreact to our emotions—out of proportion to what they represent—then we suffer anxiety, worry, and resentment. For example, if I were to start the van tomorrow, back out of the driveway, notice that the indicator light was on, and then immediately stop the engine, exit the van, pace around the vehicle and declare it unfit to drive, I would be overreacting and would accomplish nothing (plus I would look extremely silly). The wise reaction—the one has become second nature to me—is to simply check every so often and fill up the fluid, then ignore the light on the dash. When we allow our emotions to provoke an out of proportion, needless reaction, we do spiritual harm to ourselves. God has given us emotions, but we must be careful how we respond to them. God tells us to guard our hearts, for it is the wellspring of life (Proverbs 4:23). Part of guarding our hearts means recognizing a negative emotion and then checking under the hood to see what is wrong. If the fluid level is full, then we know we can go on our way without worry.