What Is Your Heart Like?

"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a peck measure, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your moral excellence and your praiseworthy, noble and good deeds and recognize and honor and praise and glorify your Father Who is in heaven." - Matthew 5:14-16 AMP

STINGY: 
- not generous: sparing or scant in using, giving, or spending
- meanly scanty or small

GENEROUS:
- characterized by a noble or kindly spirit
- showing kindness and concern for others

I've heard it said that the reason many people suffer in relationships because they fail to communicate. I respectfully disagree. The way I see it, there's plenty of communication going on these days. Just look at the explosion of social media, all the different outlets where people can voice their opinions, make themselves heard. While it is true these tools have great potential for getting a message across, they can also be a two-edged sword, a help, and a hindrance, a blessing, and a curse. 

Why do I say this? Because it seems like everybody these days wants to get attention, put in their two cents, bask in the glow of their fifteen minutes of fame, but very few people want to give attention, much less pay attention to anyone else. Like I told my kids when they were little, God gave them two ears and only one mouth, for one very specific reason, because it's more important to hear than to be heard, to listen than to be listened to.

As I said before, there is plenty of communication going on, but there's something missing. People cannot find any common ground, because, for all their talk, they don't do one very important thing:

CONNECT:
- to become joined
- to have or establish a friendly relationship marked by harmony, conformity, accord, or affinity 
- to place or establish in relationship

Face it, folks, communication is overrated if building a connection is not part of the game plan. People are willing to connect with people they know they can relate to, people that can relate to them, right where they are, because they know what it's like to walk in one another's shoes. All your eloquent speech is a waste of breath if you cannot get people to join their heart with yours. They want to know you're genuine, that there are no hidden agendas, no ulterior motives. If they can't find common ground with you, or if they feel in any way like you're playing some sort of "bait and switch" game with their emotions, you can forget about establishing any kind of meaningful relationship with them. 

That is why I started this article with the definitions of stingy and generous. You must decide whether or not you're willing to share your heart with others, because your heart is the real you. People want to connect from one heart to another. If they perceive that you are reaching out to them with your heart, they will gladly reach out to you with theirs. You cannot pull the wool over people's eyes for very long; they'll see right through your ruse. Maybe you can obscure their vision for a time, but the true motives of your heart will be revealed, for better or worse.

"For there is nothing hidden that shall not be disclosed, nor anything secret that shall not be known and come out into the open." - Luke 8:17 AMP

This is true whether you're building a relationship, building a family, even building a business. You will connect best with those who know your heart is big, you have a kind, generous spirit, and you are willing to give from your heart and receive with your heart as well. Whatever you send out, comes right back to you. 

So turn on your heartlight, and let others know what your heart is like. Be generous, not stingy with your light everywhere you go, and you will connect with people who appreciate your glow.

"The world of the generous gets larger and larger; the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller.  The one who blesses others is abundantly blessed; those who help others are helped." - Proverbs 11: 24-25 MSG

That's all for now, gotta run.  Until we meet again, remember:

Keep it simple...  See ya!