Proverbs 4:23

The Guarded Heart

Keep thy heart with all diligence. Proverbs 4:23;

Once upon a time there lived in Ceylon a king called Thossakin, and he had a wonderful gift at least so the story says. He could take out his heart whenever he liked, and put it in again. This was very useful when he was going on any dangerous expedition, because, you see, he could leave his heart safely at home, and then no one could kill him.

Now it happened that Thossakin went to war with Rama, and went out to fight against him. He wished to leave his heart at home, in a very safe place. After thinking of all sorts of places to put it in, he decided to shut it up in a box and give it to someone to keep. There are not very many people you can trust with your heart, so he had to consider the matter very carefully indeed. At last he thought the best thing to do was to give it to a hermit living by himself in a lonely place, and this he did. Then he went to war, and, try as he would, Rama could not kill him.

Then Rama consulted a friend of his. “How is it,” he said, “that my arrows hit Thossakin, and yet do him no harm?” Now the friend was a magician, and by his magic he found out where the heart was, and then, changing himself into the form of the king, he went to the hermit and asked him for the box. The hermit gave it to him without any suspicion, and the magician crushed it in his hands and King Thossakin fell dead.

That is a “heart” story with a sad ending. But here is another with a happy ending. It also comes from far away, for it is an Indian tale.

There was once a monkey who struck up a friendship with a shark, and used to feed him with fruit from a tree. One day the shark invited the monkey to come home with him on a visit, to which the monkey agreed. But just as they were about to start, the shark happened to remark, “Our sultan is ill, and nothing can cure him but a monkey's heart.” “Ah,” said the monkey, “now I understand your kind invitation. But don't you know that we monkeys always leave our hearts in trees, and go about without them?” And he made his escape.

These two stories give us the same warning, and it is this. Be careful what you do with your heart, and where you trust it. Some people give their hearts away to nice and pleasant things. Then if they lose these pleasant things they lose heart too. They think the whole world is wrong and they are most sad and miserable all because they have trusted their hearts to wrong keeping.

Some people take no care to protect their hearts from the arrows of temptation. And so one day they get badly wounded. Others expose them to evil company and forget that they can't do so without getting their poor hearts soiled and stained with the sin and evil that is around them. You see it is a difficult business to take care of your heart.

There is only one Person I know who can keep your heart safe. I think you know Him too. The wise man who wrote the Book of Proverbs said, “Keep thy heart with all diligence.” But He to whom I want you to entrust your heart is wiser and greater than the writer of Proverbs. He does not say, “Keep your heart.” He says, “Give me your heart and I shall keep it for you.” Boys and girls, in Christ's keeping alone are our hearts safe.