This is a really important post for me. Although all the different versions are relatively similar, I picked the American King James bible’s translation because it was worded perfectly.
For as he thinks in his heart, so is he
I’ve always been a fan of quotes. But this one is probably the most substantial to me. It really captures the depth of our intentions. And I could not agree more with that statement.
This is quite possibly one of the most significant psychological excerpts one can take from the Bible. Because it begs the question – who are you? Honestly…who are you really? I would bet that every single person on this planet has at one point or another done something to project an image or advance an agenda. We all do it. Be fake, I mean. Its like we live in a culture where we’ve set so many rules and restrictions that we have predetermined expectations of how to act. But then, when we’re behind closed doors, we become someone completely different.
So which of these people are we? Are we the super nice person that always walks into the office with a smile, or are we the one who can’t wait to get home so they can take off their professional hat and party? Because we act in so many different ways depending on the context of our environment.
Don’t take this the wrong way – I’m not saying that everyone in the world is fake. I’m just saying that we’ve molded ourselves so deeply to fit the narrative that’s been created for us. We live in a world where people are far too often afraid to voice their opinions and concerns in fear of being judged or ridiculed. So we hold it in.
But perhaps the most applicable situation in which this Proverb can be applied is in context of a relationship. How many times have you met a “really great” guy or girl, only to eventually find out they were someone completely different than what you thought. So many people are good at putting on a front when you first get to know them. You see him/her the way they want you to see them, but in their heart they know what their intentions are. Whether their actions correlate with those intentions, we don’t know.
In fact just recently I was talking to a friend who told me about their breakup. Evidently the guy was like Mr. Perfect for the first several weeks, and then she found out he was seeing like 3 other people – contrary to what he had told her.
See, these are the situations that really bug me. Its far too easy to fall into these kind of cesspools. All its takes is a charismatic personality, winning smile, and a moderate degree of attractiveness to make any guy who wants to be one a walking woman-trap.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying the majority of us are like that. In fact I’d like to think that most of us are pretty good dudes that don’t like to hurt others (although I’m not sure how true that is). But I strongly doubt that most of you who are reading this haven’t run into this kind of situation at one point in your life (if you’re one of the lucky ones that found your perfect soulmate at a young age, then please stop what you’re doing, write a book, and tell us how to do that).
Anyway, to reiterate why I like that verse so much – I like it because it encourages you to be real. No matter what our actions and words may be, its our internal dialogue and our real intentions that define who we truly are.
I don’t know, maybe this is one of the reasons I’ve never stayed at a job for over 2.5 years. I just have such a hard time promoting a facade. Not to mention dealing with the facades of others, too. I just want to be me, no matter what situation or environment I’m in.
The heart – that’s where our intentions reside.
How the World Should Work 