There is a difference between knowing something in your mind, and knowing it in your heart. I have heard it said recently: "they are so close, yet there seems to be no direct route between them." Things in your mind compose what you know, while things in your heart determine who you are. Things that you know in your heart are operating behind the scenes, shaping the perspective that you view life from. For example, believing that there is a God with a plan for your life, totally changes how you perceive and interpret the things that happen to you. It is not just an idea that you classify as true, and file among the thousands of other facts stored in your mind. It starts out as simply an idea that you learn about, but then as you believe it enough to let it effect your actions and decisions, it becomes something more.
It is not that these ideas actually reside in our organ that pumps blood, but they exist outside our conscious thoughts, affecting us at a deeper level. We probably use the term "heart" to describe that deeper place, because that is usually where we feel the most acute sensations when experiencing strong emotions. And our emotions are strongly influenced by what we believe in our hearts. As much as I would like to be able to do so, my conscious mind can’t dictate or control my emotions. At a certain level, my heart can. If someone you know dies, consciously thinking in your mind about the fact that they should be in a better place, doesn’t necessarily make you feel any better, but knowing that in your heart can.
There are a variety of things that I believe with my mind, that have yet to fully infiltrate my heart. That is usually a slow process, but it doesn't have to be. Recently I have been learning a lot about God and how he operates in the physical world. This has transformed much of what I believe in my mind, but it will take longer for those new ideas to transform my heart. Believing that God can perform a miracle comes from the mind, while trusting that He will perform a miracle comes from the heart.
I have little trouble believing that God will take care of my basic physical needs, because he has been faithful in that regard for a long time, giving that idea time to settle firmly into my heart. Believing that God with continue to provide me with positive relationships with people around me on the other hand, is something I have trouble believing in my heart. Because of this, I constantly find myself striving to make that happen on my own terms. This method is a constant struggle, and has frustratingly inconsistent results. I am still learning how to trust God with this issue.
On the other hand, there are certain things that I believe with my heart, that my mind has trouble grasping. I believe I know certain things about God's plan for me, that an objective view of the facts provides little evidence for right now. Only time will tell if I am correctly interpreting what God is telling me, but he continues to do so all of the time.
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