Seasons of the Heart

I’ve been blogging about seasons of life, different stages encountered by women as the journey of life continues.  Throughout all different stages, or seasons, there are concurrently conditions of our hearts during the various  seasons.  (I’m calling the heart that inner person in us that either serves God or self, that invisible part of us that no one but God really sees and knows.)Jesus stated the great commandment to be “Loving God with all your heart” and in various places in scripture the heart is described as hard, cold, hot or lukewarm.  Proverbs admonishes us to guard our hearts, for they are the wellspring of life.  Hard-hearted, soft-hearted,warm-hearted, these words describe the seasons or conditions of our inner relationship with God.  In Isaiah 29:13KJV the Lord says, “"These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.”  Isn’t it interesting that when our hearts grow distant from the Lord we revert to the refuge of legalism? I’m asking myself where I’m leaning on rules rather than relationship today.  How about you?