As face answers to face in water, So does one man’s heart to another. Prov 27:19 (JPS)
Water is a reflective surface, and reflects back what is shown to it. Thus when a man peers into the water, it responds by showing his face back to him. In a similar manner, a man’s heart will respond to another by showing the other what it has been shown.
Sometimes we go through life wondering why life has a way of taking us through certain things. Maybe we are having a problem with relationships, or even attracting the wrong people to us. The problem may not be too far away from where you are. It may be a matter of the heart.
The writer of Proverbs points this out where relationships are concerned. A man’s heart will answer to another (my paraphrase). Your answers will tell us what your heart has been showing. You may think you deserve better, but your heart does not know it. It will simply reflect who you are in your relationships.
Over time I have noticed that when people are generous and invest in others, the investment has a way of coming back to them in terms of opportunities gained and even favor. Their hearts reflect in the way their relationships treat them. When they are going through times of trouble and adversity, men (and women) will always rally around them in support. However, men who are stingy end up attracting stinginess back.
The answer? Learn to love. Cultivate a lifestyle of generosity. Go out of your way to help people. Their hearts will answer to yours. The love in your heart will attract love from others. Tenda wema nenda zako!