Head and Heart

By: Scott Tolhurst

Unlike my arms, legs, eyes and ears, my head and heart do not always work in tandem. I assume you find the same. Occasionally our heads pace ahead of our hearts. At times, our hearts rule our heads. This syncopated offbeat rhythm can be awkward when one is faster than the other. It can be more difficult when they point in different directions. Lest I pour more confusion on this matter, let me define my terms.

My head is the rational, logical referee of my life. It draws clear conclusions based on pros and cons. It works quickly and leans towards decisive action. My thinking is to be trained by truth and guided by the Spirt. But my heart is more intuitive. It contains my emotions, but underneath, there is a knowing that hovers like a hunch and sounds like conscience. It is a discernment shaped slowly in life and also informed by the Spirit. Both head and heart are sources of wisdom for life. So when they collide, it can be confusing. How do we resolve this?

The simplest answer is to elevate one over the other. I have been told to always let my head guide my heart. There is an advantage to this. The clarity of my thoughts is easier to discern than the murky matters of heart. But there is also a dis-advantage. The heart has wisdom my head doesn’t always recognize. Reversing the priority, so that my heart reins over my head, only offers a different set of challenges. Submerging one into the other leaves us with a solo voice where there should be a harmonious duet. There is a different path.

There may be times when either head or heart has first voice, but I want both in my life. I do not want to be driven by my whims nor simply function by a ledger mentally of credits and debits. So, instead of choosing one or the other as our umpire, place both under the leadership of God. The Bible addresses us holistically - head and heart. We are to be renewed by the transforming of our minds, but we are to guard our hearts as the fountain of life (Romans12:2, Proverbs 4:23). In other words, God speaks to us in stereo. God leads our mind and our spirits. God sanctifies our thinking and our sense of what seems right. We do not choose between the two. We surrender both to God and trust His leading. That doesn’t mean that head and heart agree instantly or easily. Nor does it mean that the volume between them is always the same. But if God holds the tuning fork for my life, I wait until both head and heart resonate with Him.

Resonance is heard through Bible study and prayer. The Word instructs my mind. Prayer attunes my heart. These twinned disciplines are essential for discipling my life. They nurture the totality of my living. Their balance may shift in accordance with need - but they both are avenues of wisdom.