“Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”

~ Proverbs 4:23

“Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires.”

~ SoS 3:7, 3:5, 8:4

Emotions travel at the speed of light (300 million m/s) while reasoning travels much more slowly at the speed of sound (343 m/sec). Reasoning plods along thought by thought, and makes a pit stop at the head before it reaches the heart. It’s slow. We need to hear the sound of our thoughts, one by one, for them to move along forward. 

Emotions however are fast – speed of light fast. They race to the heart and completely overtake it. They consume the heart and crowd out everything else. If the emotions consume the heart, you will not listen to reason. You will not even listen to the Scriptures. The only thing you will listen to is God by way of a trial, and you do not want that! 

So?

The best thing is to guard your heart in advance. Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires. Let love begin at 1 Corinthians 13 – where love is patient, kind and not in a hurry – and then stroll through Song of Songs and then return to rest again at 1 Corinthians 13. In many situations, 1 Corinthians 13 is a very safe distance to be at.

Plod first, run second.