Follow Your Heart And Other Awful Advice

“Some things are better left unsaid.” Have you ever heard that piece of advice? It’s a good one. Especially when it’s applied to other bits of advice we often hear. Phrases like “Follow your heart!” or “Speak your truth!” sound helpful on the surface. But when you actually apply this awful advice in your life, you’ll see the results are not what you hoped they’d be. The good news is, there’s a better way to a better life—far better than living by one-sentence slogans that don’t actually work. Behind every piece of awful advice we can find a timeless truth from God that, when lived out in practice, will change our lives for the better.

Part 1

Speak Your Truth

Everyone in the world is unique, and with that uniqueness comes unique experiences, insights, and world views. But there’s something else that is ultra unique and one of a kind: Truth. It stands on its own. No personal experiences, insights, or world views can alter it. And the most amazing thing? Truth has a name. The sooner we learn it, the better our life will be.

Part 2

If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It

Routine is fantastic. It provides us with guardrails—a type of structure and purpose for our lives. That said, routine packaged in a “that’s how we’ve always done it” mindset can become a prison. If we’re not careful, we will start living on autopilot. But, there are moments in life when will God call you out of your normal routine and into something greater. Will you be willing to break the routine and fix your eyes on the uncertain future where God is calling you?

Part 3

No Pain, No Gain

It’s not a secret that everything worthwhile in life lives uphill—a healthy body, healthy finances, healthy relationships. You have to work to build a fulfilling life for yourself. So does that mean that life is a constant slog of pushing through pain to get something good? Not at all. In fact, when you start making God-honoring decisions, they tend to create momentum that propels you toward the life God has in mind for you.

Part 4

Follow Your Heart

Humans are not intellectual beings with emotions. We’re emotional beings who happen to have an intellect! Most of the time, we allow our feelings and emotions to guide our life. But when that happens, we end up making decisions on momentary, fleeting feelings. The good news is we don’t have to settle for this way of living—God has given us something better than our heart to follow when it comes to making decisions.

Part 5

Practice Makes Perfect

We can practice, we can train, we can work. But no matter how hard we try, we will never reach perfection. So, thank God perfection is not the goal! The sooner that we realize perfection is impossible, the better off our life will be. When we understand this, we are freed from a life of endlessly pursuing an unattainable goal. Instead, God calls us to a life of better—taking steps towards him and the future he has in mind for us.