Sharpening Your Saw: The Mind, Heart, Soul, Body, Spirit
We want a sharpened saw, the metaphorical self so that we become better at doing something, thinking, and noticing things. We want a sharpened saw so that we become better at knowing something, feeling, and controlling our emotions. As mentioned in the last blog post, we want to sharpen the mind because it’s powerful and a terrible thing to waste. And with the sharpening of the mind comes the sharpening of the heart. But sharpening the heart is messy.
In a letter dated 1862, Emily Dickinson writes that the “heart wants what it wants—or else it does not care.” And in 2014, Selena Gomez releases a song titled “The heart wants what it wants.” The heart has a way of controlling our emotions, our mind even if it desires something or someone that or who it should not have. Sharpening the heart is messy.
Sharpening the heart is a continual process. From childhood our hearts are evil. I’m not making that up. In Genesis 6:5, the Lord grieves the actions of the human race on earth and comes to the conclusion that based on every thought, intention, imagination, idea, and plan of the human heart was continually, repeatedly, and repetitively “evil.” It doesn’t matter which Bible translation we read the word “evil” does not change. The following verse tells us, “The LORD regretted that he had made human beings and his heart was deeply troubled” (Genesis 6:6 NIV). And despite the LORD’s love for the people, the LORD knows “every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood” (Genesis 8:21 NIV).
How does one sharpen an evil heart? A heart that is inherently evil. Ten shades of evil. Evil in the moral and ethical sense. Mischievous. Harmful. Troublesome. Adverse. Naughty. Sore. Sorrowful. Wrong. Hurtful. Grievous.
I know, you’re saying, not my heart. My heart is loving and kind. And I want to say, is it?
For me, my heart has to be sharpened continually. Why? Because of the ten shades of evil. Let me give you an example of the evil that I know lies in my own heart. The troublesome thoughts that lie in my heart that only the Good Lord can and does sort out. (I have to give a shout right here for my heart change over the years.)
A frozen heart can melt when God begins to sharpen it. Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”
In the spring 2021 semester, I enrolled in Critical Race Theory as a Theological Challenge class. It was either week four, five, or six. Whichever week the second reading once again reinforced the “witchery of white supremacy.” Black and brown bodies and their land stolen, abused, and pillaged in the name of God since Christopher Columbus set sail. My heart grew heavy, sorrowful, and hurtful. One day in the plenary session, we were asked to speak about the learning so far. All I could say was, I don’t know how God has called me to love people when after reading these historical and global events that continually kill Black and Brown lives. How can I trust them? I knew deep in my heart, my hope lies in Christ, but on the surface at the moment, page after page my heart was frozen. Stone cold. Sharpening the heart is messy.
How could I do God’s work with my heart feeling ten shades of evil? My heart hardened a bit more. In a different class, a student attempted to be nice. For example, she sent an email to the precept class with her phone number for those who wanted to discuss questions. She offered to print pages for me. I had a printer; I didn’t need help printing pages. Honestly, all her kind gestures were getting on my nerves. My heart was sore. The only way to lose this heaviness from my heart was to go to God in prayer with all my anger. Ugh. I don’t like this. The Lord has a way of cutting through all my nonsense. I know I’m not the only one because Dr. Chanequa Walker-Barnes wrote, the “Prayer of the Weary Black Woman” that began with “Dear God help me hate white people. Or at least not want to hate them.” If you haven’t read it, visit her blog drchanequa.com. The struggle is real. Especially, when God’s Word is an authoritative voice in your life.
Hebrews 4:12 says “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”
To sharpen my heart, I could only do one thing: ask God to help me. I had to change my mindset. Think differently about the anger I had in my heart. Let’s be honest, if I was angry imagine how angry God was at the behavior of his people. I’ll just repeat it again: “The LORD regretted that he had made human beings and his heart was deeply troubled” (Genesis 6:6). I’ve lived with an angry heart for a few years, so rereading that verse only makes me more thankful and grateful for allowing the Spirit of the Lord to soften my heart. I had no choice but to get my heart right. That goes for any one of us irritated at the world and the antics we encounter daily. We have to continuously sharpen our hearts. How? According to Dr. Chanequa’s prayer: see the best in people, be hopeful, trust God, and be an agent for justice and reconciliation.
Sharpening the heart is messy.
Let’s reflect on sharpening the soul, next.
Until next time,
Angela
Angela,
In view of “sharpening” and your introductory statements regarding the heart wanting what it wants via supporting quotes, I embraced the question, “how does one sharpen the evil heart?”
Without benefit or access to current research and thinking but having a strong sense of my heart, I began massaging my heart(combating lurking evil) by delivering daily doses of the Word to my brain for dispersal. As you stated, ” sharpening the heart is messy.” I make my mess easier to deal with by working/massaging it in a slow methodical way with intentionality and I find myself listening with “the ear of my heart” to receive that which guides away from evil: God’s Word.
Thank you for this timely entry.
E. L.
Thank you E.L for sharing how you sharpen your heart: “Intentionality and listening with the ear of my heart… to receive God’s guidance. And slow methodical way makes a difference.
Angela
Thanks for those beautiful words of encouragement. It’s a daily process for me.