"Starting very early, life has taught all of us to ignore and distrust the deepest yearnings of our heart. Life for the most part, teaches us to suppress our longings and live only in the external world where efficiency and performance are everything. We have learned that...something else is wanted from us other than our heart, which is to say, that which is more deeply us. Very seldom are we ever invited to live out of our heart. If we are wanted, we are often wanted for what we can offer functionally. If rich, we are honored for our wealth; if beautiful, for our looks, if intelligent, for our brains. So we learn to offer only those parts of us that are approved, living out a carefully crafted performance to gain acceptance from those who represent life to us. We divorce ourselves from our heart and begin to live a double life." -The Sacred Romance:Drawing Closer to the Heart of God written by Brent Curtis and John Eldredge, 1997

The late Brent Curtis was a counselor in a private practice. He was killed in a climbing accident in 1998.

"Freedom to live, to love, to recover and follow those deep desires and find a life worth living—this is the song of the ransomed heart. This is what Jesus said He came to do—to heal our hearts and set them free" (Isaiah 61:1-3).

George Gray

"I have studied many times
The marble which was chiseled for me--
A boat with a furled sail at rest in a harbor.
In truth it pictures not my destination
But my life.
For love was offered me and I shrank from its disillusionment;
Sorrow knocked at my door, but I was afraid;
Ambition called to me, but I dreaded the chances.
Yet all the while I hungered for meaning in my life.
And now I know that we must lift the sail
And catch the winds of destiny
Wherever they drive the boat.
To put meaning in one's life may end in madness,
But life without meaning is the torture
Of restlessness and vague desire--
It is a boat longing for the sea and yet afraid."

-written by Edgar Lee Masters from Spoon River Anthology

In the Anthology, the buried hauntingly tell the details about their lives.

To me, all these represent this--It is in our heart that we discover our purpose in life. To ignore your heart's desire and voice is to lead a life without purpose. Sometimes people just "go through the motions" and never truly live. I know I have.

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