“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” - Proverbs 4:23
The heart. What an important, complicated, mysterious thing.
Physically, we know it’s the hardest-working muscle in the body, beating 100,000 times and pumping 2,500 gallons every single day – our lives depend upon its proper functioning.
Spiritually, the Bible uses the heart to indicate both the center of the emotions/the intellect/the personality and that which is hidden or inaccessible. It encompasses our connection with God, the spiritual, the unseen – the seat from which flow both love and trust. As is the case with the physical body, our spiritual lives depend upon its proper functioning.
Here’s what we want you to know about your partnership with the Union Gospel Mission: We are in the heart business. Almost to a person, the men and women coming through our doors have damaged hearts. Their sense of who they are and who God created them to be is skewed. They’re suspicious and slow to trust. They’re full of shame and regret. The lies they have been told about themselves and their worth have distorted their view of the world and themselves.
Proverbs 23:7 in the King James Version reads: “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he,” acknowledging the intimate relationship between thoughts and identity. What we as humans believe about God and His relationship to the world shapes our hearts, and our hearts shape our behavior.
Take another look at the verse at the top of the page: God says everything you and I do flows from our hearts – words, choices, behavior, everything. Healthy hearts spread love and joy. Damaged hearts spread damage.
And that’s why UGM is as concerned about the heart as the body. Food and shelter are good things, but in and of themselves, they will not end homelessness. We must address the issues of the heart and offer the healing that comes from knowing Jesus Christ. The Creator of the universe sees us, loves us and gave His life so that we might live a life of meaning and purpose. That’s where healing for a damaged heart begins, and that is the foundation of the Union Gospel Mission.
To read more about the ways in which UGM works to mend heart wounds, click here.
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