Guard your Heart

Recently, there has been a verse in my mind:
"Guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life"
And naturally, people would think this means about the emotional/relationship side of life, but as I ponder on it more, I realise that it is so much more than that. Yes, with the friends I have and the stage of life I am in, finding "the One" is a big part of life. I see my friends ( both new and old) longing for love and that relationship for a lifetime, and I wont lie to say that it is on my heart as well ( as any normal girl in her mid twenties would!). But I have seen those same friends fall in love only to be broken, I have heard the heartbreaking stories of my new friends who thought they were on the right track only to be disappointed. I witness myself people who pursue a girl, only to be turned down, and I see those who have given up on finding anyone at all. But we have been advised to "Guard your heart". To be cautious when entering into relationships, to weigh the possibilities of it not working, for the damage that it causes when you invest in someone only for them to walk away with a piece of that which you have been charged to guard. And each time we fail to guard our hearts, we wonder what went wrong.
This has happened to me, and with each time, I resolve to guard it better "next time".
But along with the romantic side of guarding our hearts, there is also other arrows that can pierce and damage it. Jealousy, greed, hatred, discontent and anger. Each of these has a way of slowly taking root in our hearts and growing, often without us realizing that is what it is, until it is too late and damage to both yourself and someone else has happened. Sometimes we can justify it as something "right" giving reasons left and right, and sometimes we ignore the niggling that tells us that perhaps we're wandering off the straight and narrow.
That is when we get into more trouble and all of a sudden ( it seems) we find ourselves in a postion caught in something that we know we shouldnt be. How did I get here?! I have wondered to myself when something simple sets me off and I need time to re-evaluate.
I continue to ponder on how I can best "guard my heart" - not only romantically, but also in other areas of life- knowing that it is not a simple thing you jump to one day, but over time, learning how best to do it as HE would want me ( and intended me) to do it.