“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Proverbs 4:23

The heart is more than just the center of our emotions, it is the wellspring of life. Every decision, every word, every action ultimately begins in the heart. That’s why guarding it is not optional, it’s essential. What we allow into our hearts will eventually shape the course of our lives. 

Think about it this way: your heart is like a garden. If you plant seeds of kindness, gratitude, and love, the fruit will reflect that. But if you allow weeds of bitterness, envy, and anger to take root, they will choke out the good and overtake your thoughts and actions. What you feed your heart is what will grow. 

Guarding your heart means paying attention to what you expose yourself to your conversations, the media you consume, the relationships you nurture, and even the thoughts you allow to linger. If you constantly dwell on negativity, your perspective will become negative. If you fill yourself with comparison, you will find discontentment. But if you choose to dwell on things that are pure, uplifting, and life-giving, your outlook will change, and so will your responses to life’s challenges. 

This doesn’t mean isolating yourself or living in fear of being influenced. Rather, it’s about intentionality. You cannot always control what happens around you, but you can control what you allow to take root inside of you. Guarding your heart is less about building walls and more about creating healthy boundaries. It’s choosing carefully what you welcome in and what you let go. 

Let’s say, someone speaks harshly to you, you can guard your heart by refusing to internalize their words. If life brings you disappointment, you can guard your heart by not letting hopelessness settle in. If jealousy tries to creep in when you see someone else succeed, you can guard your heart by celebrating them instead of comparing. 

When you guard your heart well, you protect your peace, your joy, and your purpose. It empowers you to live from a place of wholeness rather than reaction. Instead of being 

tossed around by circumstances, you become anchored. Instead of being swayed by every negative influence, you remain steady. 

The truth is, what flows from your heart impacts not only you but also the people around you. If love flows, others feel it. If bitterness flows, they feel that too. Guarding your heart, then, is not selfish—it’s an act of love for yourself and for those you encounter daily. 

So today, be intentional about what you let in. Nourish your heart with words of life, relationships that build, and thoughts that strengthen. Protect your garden, and you’ll see good fruit. 

Guard your heart, and your life will follow. #LEAP