It is a cliche piece of advice to give when someone has a romantic interest. But what does it mean? This article delves into this concept, and I think it has the very general idea correct -- fully entrust your heart to God and don't try to "guard your heart" by running from relationships. However, I don't agree with the author's interpretation of the phrase or her reference to Mark 12:30-31.
Here's one way to look at the phrase "Guard your heart" (which quotes Proverbs 4:23): It could mean less of keeping your heart closed and not letting anyone in, and more of being mindful of your heart, of its emotions, of its deceptions -- as if it were a prisoner under watch (as the NASB version says, "Watch over your heart with all diligence," diligence having a connotation of a prison guard, according to BlueLetterBible.com.)
But with the following clause that says, "for from it flow the springs of life," the heart seems to be regarded more positively than a deceptive prisoner. With that in mind, it sounds like this verse could be saying that you are to be mindful of your heart and do your best to watch over it, take care of it and keep its "springs of life" from being polluted by the world.
Does that mean we are to guard it on our own by shutting people out? I don't believe so. The best way to keep anything or anyone from being polluted by the world is to keep oneself rooted in the Word, which is basically what the article is saying. So yes, we are to give our hearts fully to God and love Him wholeheartedly -- and allow the love He has for us and the love we develop for Him to influence our love for others.
However, I do think that caution is required. Our hearts are deceitful above all things after all, and we have the tendency to get caught up in emotions, misunderstand physical touch or verbal (or text messaging) communication, and have unhealthy expectations of broken people.
The author uses Jesus' wholehearted and risk-taking love for the Father as an example, but I don't think it's necessarily fitting, because Jesus is perfect, and the Father is perfect. They (God) are love, and real risk wasn't involved in that case. Yes, Jesus felt abandoned by the Father when He hung on the cross dying, and some could say He took a risk in loving and obeying His Father, but because He and the Father are one, I don't think it's the same risk involved as the risk we have the choice to take in human relationships.
God takes a risk everyday in loving us broken people, because we can and we do hurt Him. But He doesn't have the need to guard His heart because He's God, and He's perfect -- and He won't let His emotions "get the better" of Him, He won't make a mistake, He won't have unhealthy expectations of people, etc. But we as humans have this need to guard our hearts, because we can make those mistakes.
That is why I believe the cliche "Guard your heart" has a place in relationship advice -- because it is God's Word and it points back to the God who gives us the diligence to guard our hearts while also guarding it for us, if we let Him.
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