Welcome to Bible+Bloom. Today I want to share how the Lord used our heart centered homeschooling philosophy to minister to my own heart, and as a result invited me into a more integrated, whole-hearted faith—a faith that engages both the mind and the heart. ​

A Heart Centered Faith:

When I set out on the journey to educate my children at home, I knew there was so much more to homeschooling than academics. I remember reading the quote by Aristotle that says, “Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.”

It was a light-switch moment for me. I recognized that my children are whole persons, and that if I was going to do this holistically and hopefully well, I needed to be intentional about relationship. That I must appeal to the heart first if I hoped to engage the mind. Because a child who feels safe, connected, and loved is a child who is ready and generally eager to learn, and who tends to learn more effectively.

That philosophy became the central theme of my first blog, The Heart Centered Homeschool and was the inspiration for its namesake.

As I approached homeschooling with this heart posture, the Lord graciously showed me that the same approach could inform my relationship with Him. A relationship marked by intention, connection, and care. In other words, a heart centered faith.

A Heart Centered Faith: Loving God with Our Whole Being

Jesus tells us in Mark 12:30:
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”

Heart comes first.

When Jesus speaks, I lean in. All Scripture is God-breathed and carries His immutable truth and authority. Still, there is a unique intimacy in the words Jesus shared during His ministry. His time on earth was brief in the span of the whole biblical narrative, so when Jesus says “heart” first, it’s surely for good reason. He was drawing our attention to something vital: that loving God wholly and well requires more than just our minds.

A Heart Centered Faith: Abiding Not Striving

We get in our own way when we create silent expectations of what it should look like to pursue Him. We start measuring our faithfulness by how much we’re doing rather than how much we’re abiding. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, we shift from intimacy to effort, from resting to striving.

This is how we end up with a works-based faith; a posture of performance rather than connection. We begin chasing spiritual productivity instead of the presence of God.

Even in our pursuit of good things like Bible study, theology, and Christian disciplines, our hearts can begin to drift. When our spiritual practices become a checklist instead of a means of true connection with God, we risk turning them into idols and lose the sweetness of simply being with Him.

Studying the Word is not just important; it’s essential. Scripture is how God reveals His character, His promises, and His will for us. It strengthens our faith, corrects our course, and nourishes our souls. But even in this, we are called to examine our motives.

Proverbs 21:2 tells us, “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart.”

Are we studying to know Him, or to know more? Are we seeking intimacy, or simply seeking to feel accomplished, knowledgeable, or “good enough?”

God doesn’t need our performance. He desires our presence. The same way our children need connection, not just instruction. I heard it said once that if the Bible were meant to be an index of dos and don’ts, a list of rules and processes, it wouldn’t need to be as long. God does desire to teach us, but His heart for relationship is just as evident. We see this woven throughout Scripture in the way He relentlessly pursues His people and draws us to Him.

A Heart Centered Faith: From Knowledge to Knowing

Jesus gave a sobering warning in John 5:39–40:
“You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.”

This verse was so convicting for me to read. These words weren’t spoken to the unbelieving Gentiles, but rather to the religious leaders of the time. The Pharisees knew the Scriptures inside and out. They followed every letter of the law and yet, when the fulfillment of the law stood before them, they didn’t recognize Him. Worse, they rejected Him and crucified Him on a Roman cross.

That’s the danger of a faith built on understanding alone. We may know the words, yet miss the Word made flesh—the One who offers us life.

This truth quietly transformed how I approached Scripture. When I stopped reading to master the text and started coming to meet with the Author, everything shifted. The more I sought His heart, the more His Word came alive. And in that sacred space, intimacy grew—not through information, but through presence.

A Heart Centered Faith: A Faith That Flows from the Heart

A true relationship with Jesus takes time. Like any deep connection, it grows not just through learning, but through abiding—in prayer, in stillness, and in worship.

It’s worth asking ourselves:
Am I sitting with God to be near Him—or to check off a box?
Am I opening my Bible with expectancy—or with a sense of obligation?

In Genesis 3:8, we read that God was walking in the garden in the cool of the day. It reminds us that we were created for relationship. God’s original design wasn’t hurried or transactional—it was intimate, personal, and unhurried.

And that invitation still stands.

A Heart Centered Faith:Slowing Down To Draw Near

If we want to cultivate a heart that abides rather than strives, we can start by slowing down and making space to be with Him, not for accomplishment’s sake but simply to enjoy Him.

Here are a few simple ways to return to His presence with intentionality:

• Start your time with God by praying, “Lord, I’m here for You.” Before you open your Bible or journal, pause and acknowledge Him. Invite His presence into the moment.
• Pay attention to your pace. If you feel rushed, breathe. It’s okay to read one verse instead of a whole chapter. It’s okay to just sit in silence with Him.
• Ask reflective questions. What’s stirring in my heart today? Where do I need to receive His love instead of trying to earn it?
• Bring Him into the ordinary. Take a walk. Notice the beauty around you. Talk to Him like you would a dear friend. Let your worship be woven into the quiet moments of your everyday life.

As we begin to make space for these slower rhythms, we’ll find that our affection for Him deepens—not because we’re working harder, but because we’re walking nearer. And to our surprise, we may discover that we understand His Word more fully than ever before.

---

A Prayer to End With:

Lord,
Thank You for inviting me not just to know about You, but to know You.
Help me to love You with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength.
Guard me from striving, from spiritual performance, and from pride in knowledge.
Draw me close in the quiet places, and teach me to delight in Your presence.
Keep my heart tender, teachable, and wholly Yours.
Amen.

A Reflection to Take With You:

Take a few quiet minutes to ask yourself:

• Am I approaching God with my heart—or just my mind?
• What helps me feel closest to Him?
• Is there any area of my spiritual walk that feels more like a checklist and less like genuine connection?

This week, make space for simply being with God—not to check a box but simply to be in His presence. Worship. Go on a walk. Sit in stillness.

I pray this was a blessing to you.

The decision to rebrand was not made lightly. I felt deeply called to The Heart Centered Homeschool, but as I created Bible+Bloom and began to bring the two together, I’ve continued to experience such peace and confirmation from the Lord.

The Heart Centered Homeschool began with a post about a holistic approach to education—one that considered and engaged the whole child, not just the child’s mind. When the Lord prompted me to write this post, A Heart Centered Faith it felt like such a redemptive moment. I’m not walking away from, but rather stepping into a more fully formed heart centered way of living and leading. How good is our God?

---

Want to read more about how this Heart Centered approach began?
You can find the post that inspired this reflection under the Heart Centered Homeschool tab on the Bible+Bloom Homepage.