We all get pulled by our hearts in different directions. Sometimes those directions come from a want that we have or a cause we are passionate about. Our hearts might even pull us towards some necessity.

No matter what, the end result is always the same: we have our hearts set on it, and nothing will move us from whatever it is we have our hearts set on.

It might be a brand new car.

Have you ever noticed that if there is a certain car you are interested in you start seeing them everywhere? You see them in parking lots, and about every fifth car that you pass on the road seems to be the model you’re being drawn towards.

Or maybe it’s something you need, like a new bed (I wrote about that here). It seems like once you are in the process and start checking out new mattresses, you have to go through with it … You have your heart set on a new bed.

We’ve all witnessed demonstrations, either live or on TV, and we can tell how passionate the people are about their cause.

I remember back when I was in grade 13 … yes, for all you non-Ontario readers, we had grade 13 some years ago.

Well, the previous year, teachers in the Toronto area had been on work to rule, but a whole year passed and they still had no contract with the Ministry of Education.

So they went on strike.

I remember that day in October. It was our last day of school, and Miss. Habas was teaching us Math (functions and relations). She drew a shape of a parabola on the blackboard and started to explained how to solve the problem.

But the next day the strike was on.

What happened next was the best three and a half months of high school I ever experienced.  That’s right, that’s how long the teachers were on strike.

It was fantastic for us, except for the kids who moved up to their parents’ cottages to go to school there.

For the teachers, they walked the line. They had their hearts set on a new contract and held out until near the end of January until they got what they wanted.

Personally, I would have been satisfied if they had have stuck to their guns a little longer. I was enjoying my school, which was a little math tutoring twice a week for the first three weeks of the strike.

Just like the teachers had their hearts set on a new contract, when the strike was over they got pulled by their hearts to something else.

And so it is: our hearts pull us here and there.

But there is one thing our hearts should keep pulling us to, one thing we should keep setting our hearts on.

That one thing is God.

I read in 2 Chronicles 16:9 that God seeks to support those whose heart is fully committed to Him. I take that as someone who has their heart set on putting God first in their life.

Here’s the thing: The problem is we get our hearts set on so many things. How do we keep our hearts set on God? Well, here’s a challenge for you: at each meal many of us say grace. When you say grace from now on, declare that you are setting your heart on God. That just might keep your heart set on the right thing.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What have you set your heart on lately? Is it worth it? Leave your comments below.