When Bill shared his story with me that he wrote about in the last post (The Door of the Heart: Part 1) it got me thinking about the door, or way, into the secret place with Jesus. That secret place is my favorite place to be. But I don't always find that spot with people to be so encouraging. It can be downright painful, especially when you open your heart to someone who either completely misunderstands you or despises you for what you share in a moment of transparency.
Jesus gave me these words to help me and us know that it's okay to guard our hearts. Even He guards His heart. It ministered to me. Here it is:
Matthew 7:6. Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.
Even We are not willing to give all our treasure to every person at any time. We have a door to Our heart which remains closed until you are ready to receive what We have to offer. In this way, We are not always vulnerable to your rejection. We have a heart, too, you see. A heart that can be broken, same as yours. And We want you to know that you do not always have to keep your love heart open to every person. Some people cannot be trusted with such treasures. Some people will only hurt you. We want you to be willing to love, always ready to open the door to your heart, but We surely do not wish for you to always open that door, or ever open that door, unless it is safe for you to do so.
It is not always possible to know in advance, unless you are God, when it is strictly safe for you to open up your heart to another person. So this is not a failsafe plan for you on earth. But We do want to tell you that even We who are all loving and all wise and all kind do not always leave Our love heart open. For this would be like giving that which is holy unto the dogs or casting Our pearls before swine. And We do not do this.
You suffer many things because your love hearts are open unto people who will not honor the treasures you bear. And We sorrow for you when you get hurt like this, because We know how damaging it is to be hurt when your heart is so open. Take caution, children, to protect your love heart. Open it when it is safe to do so. Be willing to try for the gospel’s sake, and when We prompt you to do so. But know that there are treasures you carry that others will not be able to receive, and We do not request of you to share or even attempt to display those treasures to every person, but only to those who will appreciate their richness. Guard your hearts—We do.