God's Peace Guards Our Hearts

I love how sometimes Bible texts that I know separately come together. Recently, I saw the relationship between the following texts:

"Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it" (Proverbs 4:23).

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:7).

“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast because they trust in you” (Isaiah 26:3).

God’s peace guards our hearts!

The Dog

In the darkness I could barely see the dog, and when I did see him I stopped. Was he aggressive or gentle? If I made a sudden movement, would he bite me? I didn't know, so I stood still. He walked toward me and looked at me. I walked on. As I walked I looked back, and he was following me. I talked to him, "Are you my new friend?" He came a little closer, and then I noticed what I hadn't seen before. He was skinny--so skinny his ribs showed. "Come with me," I told him. He followed me to my apartment, struggling up the stairs behind me. I gave him some water first. Then I went back in my apartment and pulled out some sweet potatoes I had cooked the night before. (Yes, I had no dog food and no meat to feed him.) By the time I'd gotten the sweet potatoes, he had disappeared. I found him at the bottom of my stairs. I gave him the sweet potatoes and sat down next to him on the curb. He ate two of the sweet potatoes. He wasn't impressed by them, but I guess hunger will drive a dog to anything--even eating sweet potatoes. After he ate the sweet potatoes, he looked at me and tried to put his head in my hands. He was hungry for love too.