In the Hebrew culture, the heart did not just represent emotional things, it was also symbolic of a person’s think tank. People thought and they felt with their heart. I’ve read this Psalm many times and I think I usually skipped over the “meditation of my heart” part because it didn’t completely make sense to me. “The words of my mouth” made sense; the words that I speak, Lord, let them be pleasing to You. All throughout Proverbs, Scripture talks about the importance of our words and how powerful they can be.

Then I read this Psalm with the understanding of how the Hebrews thought. The “meditation of my heart” can be translated to the “meditation of my thoughts.” Athlete, what are the things you think about? What are the things you dwell on? Are those things pleasing to the Lord? Are they noble, right, pure, or lovely (Philippians 4:8)? A synonym to the word “meditate” I’ve heard and like to use is “marinate.” When you hear the word “marinate” you think of soaking in something, letting it penetrate and consume. Typically with the right marinade, the end product is much better than the original.

Reflect: What do you meditate on? What do you allow yourself to marinate in?

Challenge: Take 31 days and read one Proverb a day. Meditate on the wisdom from Proverbs.

Outreach challenge: Think about the place where you train. Think about the people who keep it clean. Is there a janitor or someone you see? This week, keep a spare bottle of water or something like that with you and when you see that person (or perhaps there’s more than one), offer it to them and show them your gratitude for keeping the place keep. It’s a “dirty” job and sometimes their work goes unnoticed (unless it’s not done) and just the acknowledgment of who they are and what they do may go a long way.