Intentional Heart

 

Heart.

This past summer our family hiked up to the top of a mesa in New Mexico. The air was warm, the sun was hot, the sky was a gorgeous aqua blue, and occasionally a soft breeze would come along. Being in the desert, there wasn’t a lot of tall trees or flowers growing. But, there were a lot of juniper bushes, cacti, and sage brush. As we hiked, often the sage brush would grow close to the trail and our bodies would brush up against it as we moved past.

When we hike as a family, I often take the rear. My husband leads the train, and I keep an eye out on the troop as the caboose. Being in this formation, I was in the prime spot for a beautiful metaphor. As my family hiked past the sage brush they stirred up the scent. So much so, that by the time I came walking through, the air was filled with the earthy, herby scent of sage. In a stark desert landscape, it was a beautiful reprieve.

It made me think of how we live our lives, and how we “brush up” against others. When we encounter other people, when they brush up against us, are we giving off a pleasing aroma like the sagebrush? Or one that stinks and causes the other to wish they had just stayed away? Our actions and words are born out of where our heart is rooted. And our truest nature comes out when we are “bumped” or “brushed up against” by another. In order to be a pleasing aroma to those around us, we need to have our heart’s scent rooted in Truth and Love.

This week, let’s be intentional on looking at our hearts and where they are rooted: in Truth and Love? or in selfish ambition, anxious thoughts, and pride. And then ask ourselves, how are we smelling these days?