Guarding....

Barb suggested yesterday that women are to guard their hearts to keep from coveting and comparing.

One of the definitions of guard is "to keep under control or restraint as a matter of caution or prudence: to guard one's temper." I think that definition can be applied to this topic. We guard our hearts and minds by keeping them under control or restraint.

You know what I think leads to comparing and coveting? What author Linda Dillow calls, "An unholy habit of discontent." She says, "Our thought life - not our circumstances - determine whether we are content."

How can we be content in our thought life and content in our hearts if we are too busy comparing what we don't have (or a burden we do have!) or coveting what others have that we want?

I believe if we strive to capture any thought that comes our way that can be categorized as comparing or coveting, and replace it with a thought of contentment, a positive thought, we are well on our way to guarding our hearts and our thoughts.