Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. . . .

— Proverbs 3:5

The other day, my niece gave me a little card that she had made in school, and on the cover it said, “I love you with all my heart.”

Since ancient times our heart has been associated with our emotions, even though it isn’t actually the source of our feelings. The Bible often uses “heart” to refer to the central place of one’s being—where one’s whole mind, soul, and spirit operate. So the heart was what guided a person to make sense of the world, and it was where one’s emotions flowed from.

What does it mean, then, to “trust in the Lord with all your heart”? This means that you can put your trust in God with absolutely everything you’ve got—your emotions, your under­standing, your strength, your intelligence, your whole personhood.

In other words, “Trust in the Lord with your entire being.” Don’t let any piece of you fall away or fail to depend and rely on the God who created you.

Lean on the Lord, because he knows how to make your paths straight.

Loving Father, help me today to submit my whole self into your hands. Guide me along the way I should go, and help me to lean on your wisdom and understanding. Amen.