Understanding the Gateways to Our Hearts and Minds
Photo by Keith Hardy on Unsplash
Observing or watching?
I’m a people watcher. Actually, I am an observer wherever I go. I try not to listen in on random conversations, but sometimes I just can’t block them out, especially when I’m in an airport. How about you?
Yogi Berra—a skilled baseball player, coach, and humble man—was famous for some of his sayings, sometimes known as “yogi-isms.” They might sound funny the way they’re expressed, but they made sense within their context.
You can observe a lot just by watching. (Yogi Berra)
It’s not hard to realize what he meant from his point of view as a veteran all-star baseball player. If you know anything about baseball (I’m a lifelong baseball fan), the game has many subtle elements and strategies. Another thing Yogi would say is, “Baseball is 90 percent mental and the other half is physical.”
Observation is watching with the intent to learn something. It isn’t a passive gaze. When we observe something, we take in all that our eyes see. We may focus on particular things, but our mind even processes what’s in our peripheral vision.
These three verses in Proverbs 21 give us some insight into how the eyes, ears, and mouth are gateways of a person’s heart and mind. What goes in and out of each gateway has consequences and benefits that impact our hearts and minds.
Scripture
A conceited look and an arrogant attitude,
which are the lamps of wicked people, are sins.
Whoever shuts his ear to the cry of the poor
will call and not be answered.
Whoever guards his mouth and his tongue
keeps himself out of trouble. (Proverbs 21:4, 13, 23 GW)
(Context— (Proverbs 21:1-31 GW)
Simple insights
Here are some observations I’ve drawn from these three verses in Proverbs 21—
The eyes
The eyes perceive and take in what they look at, but they are also an outlet for what’s inside a person. It’s pretty easy to distinguish eyes filled with joy from those flushed with anger. The nature of a person, as well as their emotions, is seen through the eyes. We convey the attitude of our hearts through our physical eyes, especially when accompanied by emotion.
As Jesus said—
“The eye is the lamp of the body. So if your eye is unclouded, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be full of darkness. If the light in you is darkness, how dark it will be! (Matthew 6:22-23)
A conceited look and arrogant attitude (vs 4) reveal darkness within a person. And that darkness is destructive. It isn’t beneficial for anyone, which is why it is sinful.
The ears
When I’m focused on what I’m doing, I tune out the noise and activity around me. This makes it easy to not hear someone telling me something, especially if I don’t want to hear it.
Children have very selective hearing when parents ask them to do or not do something. Husbands develop a similar form of selective hearing but justify it. Wife — “Honey, can you take out the trash? It stinks!” Husband (watching a sports event) — “I can’t right now, I’m in the middle of something.”
But when we shut our ears to the cry of the poor, it points to a deeper issue within us. We’re not hard of hearing—our hearts are hardened. And yet, when we cry out in a time of need, we expect God to attend to us. We need to be careful what we shut out—that is, what we choose to not hear or see.
The mouth
We’ve all said things we wished we hadn’t. Even when we know something would be best unsaid, we say it anyway. We say something in the heat of the moment and then regret it.
We might rectify the situation if we’re willing to humble ourselves, apologize, and make amends as needed. But with social media—what’s out there stays out there. Once the internet captures it, it gains a life of its own. Many people have found this out the hard way.
It’s far better to guard our mouths from saying regrettable things. But this is easier said than done. As it says in Scripture, no one can tame the tongue… (James 3:8 GW).
Why can’t we tame the tongue? Because the words of our mouths go deeper. What’s spoken and heard reveals what’s in our hearts. Jesus clarifies this for us—
Your mouth says what comes from inside you. (Matt 12:34c GW)
I’m reminded of a simple child’s song using repetition and rhyming that makes the point of these three verses—O be careful little eyes… ears… mouth… what you see… hear… say…. It’s important for all of us to remember we’re responsible for what goes in and out of these gateways of the heart and mind!
Reflection—
It’s beneficial to us as a whole to guard our hearts against arrogance and callousness and to use discretion when we speak. We are all accountable for these three gateways of the heart and mind—the eyes, ears, and mouth.
Prayer Focus—
Which of these three gateways gives you the most difficulty in life? Even if it’s all three, ask God daily, even throughout the day, to give you discretion in your interactions with others, humility, and tenderness of heart.
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