On Head & Heart
“Our hearts were made for you, O Lord, and they are restless until they rest in you.” —St. Augustine
Flowering tree in Lombard, IL
As naturopathic doctors, we emphasize behavioral changes to support healing. This reflects the modern belief that the mind is the center of a person. The mind is capable of reason, and therefore rules over emotion, behavior, and character.
The belief that we are dictated by the faculties of the mind is evident in our prescribing discipline and lifestyle changes for infirmities from obesity to depression.
In contrast, Judaic tradition viewed the heart, not the mind, as the seat of the will. The heart was the source of emotion, behavior, and the primary shaper of our identity. They believed the mind reflects the attitudes of the heart, not the other way around.
The Proverbs and parables are brimming with imagery supporting this view, and personal experience confirms it. I’ve tried to change my mind countless times, but it is futile until something deeper shifts. True change stems from the heart.
I recently came across an unexpected illustration of this in an article my husband read to me on male friendship. The narrator describes how his close friendships faded once he reached adulthood. This experience isn’t unique. In fact, it is expected in our culture.
But it wasn’t always this way. For centuries, friendship was regarded as the highest form of relationship. Marriage was entered into for practical reasons, to form a household and raise a family, but not for intimacy. People found their most intimate relationships through friendship.
A famous example is King David and Jonathan in ancient Israel. I listened to a sermon based on a passage in 1 Samuel when the pair embrace and weep after narrowly escaping with their lives. The pastor said back in times when men were warriors, and their masculinity secure, they were free to express verbal and physical affection more overtly than is acceptable today.
Back to the article. The narrator, inspired by David Goggins, attempted to overcome his loneliness through sheer willpower and began diligently exercising.
He embraced the modern emphasis on independence at all costs. Don’t rely on anyone. For a while, it worked. He got very strong. He looked and felt better. But in the end, he still found himself depressed, crying, and longing for a missing piece of his humanity.
The article ends with him coming across a podcast that led him to reconnect with an old friend and more directly address the hole in his heart. A step in the right direction.
What I find most interesting is that he tried the stoic approach of asserting force of mind to control his emotions and behaviors, and despite succeeding – as evidenced by meticulous discipline, health, and strength – he still is left feeling empty. Even when stoic attempts to self-assert discipline succeed, they never render true wholeness, they always fall short.
Our attempts to fill our void with anything except God — even good things — will always disappoint and leave us empty in the end. King David, perhaps, understood this better than anyone. His prayers plead not for a new circumstance, but a new orientation of heart: “create in me a clean heart, O God. And renew an upright spirit within my inmost being” (Ps 51:10).
We go through life thinking we need a new body, new apartment, new clothes, new marriage, or new job. But what we really need is a new heart. One that is oriented, above all, to a personal relationship with God, which is why we were created.
As David shows, a new heart can never come from willpower. Asserting force of mind might yield big muscles, vast knowledge, and other helpful outcomes, but not true fulfillment. A whole heart comes only from God.
I always wonder at the irony. Why is it that in life’s most crushing moments, it is easier for me to be strong in mind than weak in heart? But only through weakness, and the emptying of the counterfeit securities to which my heart so fiercely clings, can I finally be filled.
At Columbus Naturopathic Medicine, we provide faith-based care to help you experience God’s design for meaning, purpose, and connection. If you are interested in working with Dr. Leah Gusching, you can learn more and schedule an appointment by clicking the link below.