The Heart's Displaced Affections

"For where your treasure is, your heart will be also." - Matt. 6:21 (ESV)

Have you ever stopped to think where your heart is?


I really hadn't. Not until this morning as I read Matthew 6, at least. So often we read this scripture and presume it's referring to material things, but as I thought about it, we can really store up treasures in just about anything, can't we?


People place their treasures (really, you could substitute the word "treasures" with "hope") in fame, relationships, security, popularity, worldly acceptance, love and so much more, but rarely do we have enough foresight to keep our eyes trained heavenward and remember to act in such a way down here on earth so that we store our treasures in heaven.


I suppose this scripture hit me especially hard because I recently realized how much treasure I place in my relationships. It's good to love your friends and be in community, but I've taken it so far that if anything negative happens in my relationships, I'm disproportionately distraught. Why? If I were to be honest, it's because I'm looking for the completely steady and unconditional love from people that I can only find in a perfect God who is Love incarnate.


I think it's interesting that shortly after Jesus says this, He follows it with, "No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other..." - Matt. 6:24 (ESV)


Think about where your heart is. If you're like me and your heart's affections are displaced sometimes, you can probably identify where you're storing your treasures. Think about instances where you may have done or said something that contradicted what you knew Scripture would tell you to do. Maybe it's that moment when you felt the tug to divulge that juicy rumor you heard about someone to a new group of friends, trying to break in with them, or that urge to run from a money problem because you were afraid of appearing powerless in front of your peers. Or maybe you thought, "If I just sleep with this person, they won't leave me."


Pay attention to what threatens to wound your pride or makes you fight to ensure you don't look weak, insecure, helpless, or "stupid." Those things you're fighting to protect can be indicators of where your treasure lies.


It's easier said than done, but let's pay attention to where our hearts are and ask ourselves, "Are our hearts centered on God? Or this meaningless, worldly pursuit of fame, power, popularity, wealth, etc?"