Proverbs 28:25-28 -- On Hearts and Trust

"He that is of a proud heart stirreth up strife: but he that putteth his trust in the Lord shall be made fat.
He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.
He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack: but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse.
When the wicked rise, men hide themselves: but when they perish, the righteous increase."
Proverbs 28:25-28


The whole idea of trusting in our own hearts making us foolish here I can really relate to. It reminds me of 1 Kings 8:38, talking about us knowing the plague of our own hearts.

I think we get really off track in life thinking that we can trust ourselves... this having a body thing is a challenge. A good, worthwhile challenge, but one that can lead us seriously astray when we trust in our flesh rather than in God, who knows our Spirits and how to help that part of ourselves retain mastery in the resultant unified being. Our hearts are often proud, thinking that we know better than the Lord, or thinking we can have our souvenirs of Hell and still keep heaven.

The truth that we need to come to, whether through trust or through hard experience, is that we can't trust our own "lusts" (not just sexual) or other inclinations, except as we are submitting our will to God. He will give us what we want in the end, but *we* can't trust what we want, just like a child that wants to touch the pretty fire or play in traffic--we don't know the dangers and the reality well enough. We have to learn over time and experience that "mighty change" of heart (Mosiah 5:2, Alma 5:12-14) that God offers us as we seek it.

Today, let's trust in the Lord rather than our own hearts. Let's give to the poor, let's make sure we aren't the wicked, and that we grow wildly for good when God makes space for us to increase. Let's remember that we are as children compared to God and that we need his help to see things as they really are. Let's take whatever is occupying our lives as the central focus and move it down a step in favor of the Lord. The more we make small adjustments like that, the more God can teach us, and the better people we will be--people who would be comfortable in heaven, and not wanting to hide from the Lord or the other really good people there.