We often hear the expression, "In your heart of hearts." It is such a familiar phrase that we rarely stop to consider what it actually means.
If there is a "heart of hearts," does that imply we have more than one metaphorical heart?
Not literally, of course. But perhaps it suggests that our emotional life is more layered than we realise.
We speak as though the heart contains many emotional capacities. There is a heart that loves, a heart that grieves, a heart that hopes, a heart that forgives, and, at times, a heart that hates. These are not separate hearts, but different chambers within the same emotional landscape.
Consider anger.
If I say, "In my heart of hearts, I am angry with you," I am not declaring that my entire emotional being has become anger. I instinctively recognise that my anger occupies only one part of me. It is real, but it is temporary. Once the misunderstanding has been resolved, or I have come to understand your actions more clearly, that anger will likely pass. The whole of my heart has not become hatred. Only one emotional chamber has been occupied for a season.
This is true of many emotions. Fear visits us, but it does not define us. Grief may linger, yet it is not the whole of who we are. Joy may fill us completely for a moment, but even that gives way to quieter emotions. Our emotional life is constantly changing, while something deeper remains remarkably consistent.
Perhaps that is the true meaning of the phrase.
The "heart of hearts" is not another heart hidden within the first. It is the deepest centre of our emotional being, the place beneath temporary feelings, passing reactions, and changing circumstances. It is where our enduring values, convictions, and character reside.
Our emotions may visit the heart. Our character lives in the heart of hearts.