Mind vs. heart

For the past few months I’ve had an unresolved battle going on in my mind…or is it my heart? The conflict, which I haven’t quite resolved yet, is over which rules: our mind or our heart? Does our mind (which I describe as our thoughts and knowledge) direct our heart (which I describe as our feelings and passion) or does our heart direct our mind? Or is it some combination of both? And why do I seem to need to know, anyway?

As one who can over think anything, even over-thinking, I’ve got a desire to, once and for all, defend, or else reduce my analytical practice. So that answers the last question... But it wasn’t until something I heard on American Idol recently, that I finally devoted some time and conversation with a friend to begin to truly sort the first question out. More than one Idol talent contestant this season has received feedback from judges that he or she needs to “stop thinking” when they are performing, and to instead, apparently, “sing from the heart.” “This was not your best performance,” one judge said, and another followed with, “You were thinking too much…you’ve got the talent…just sing!”

I found this somewhat frightening to hear... I’ve dabbled in music my whole life, so I totally agree that mechanical perfection alone is not perfection. If music is to be great, emotion must be involved. But what about outside of the music realm? I mean, I definitely don’t want sterile, even if technically perfect, results in life. (And my results to date aren't technically perfect, anyway...) I don’t want mechanical, or strained, or boring. I do want passion, and glory to God. I do want to move people...to be a positive influence. Could I be over-thinking things and sabotaging the God-pleasing results I’m seeking to accomplish?

Well, all this thinking led me to a scary question... Is it time to trust my heart more? To act, create, and simply and generally be more out of feeling and passion? If the Spirit of Jesus is in me, and by the grace of God, He is, can I simply be, without so much striving, worrying, analyzing, and…thinking?

So, honestly, I do feel a need to think about this some more. Yet my heart is telling me I may be on to something. And I have to say it feels good...