Hardness of Heart

Matthew 19:8 - He said to them, "Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives; but it was not so from the beginning."

Hardness of heart and divorce. They always go together. Even if only one person's heart has been hardened, there is a divorce. If not legally, then emotionally, spiritually. Sadly, hardness of heart has always been with us. The first murder happens in the fourth chapter of the first book of the Bible. It is nothing new.

It is easy to read this and not recognize that we are those whose hearts are hardened. Maybe not about our spouses, but other things. Jesus is all about softening the heart. Like Jeremiah - I will remove their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. What we need are hearts of flesh; even for our enemies.

Yes, that is hard. It is hard every morning to ask God to give McConnell and Ryan peace. My mind still does it because I know it's the only way. My heart is hardened to them. Even though I know their actions come from a place of deep pain. Jesus says we must pray for our enemies, so I do. It's the only way to soften our hearts. If we suddenly had everything our own way, our hearts would slowly harden. Not everyone's of course, but many. Praying for the good of our enemies, or the spouse who no longer loves us, is difficult. 

It does not mean that we think everything they do is fine. It isn't. It's a way to begin to accept that person as a child of God. Because they are. It's a road to understanding that there is common ground somewhere. We will not find it when we write them off as they do us.

Today I choose to look at my heart and see where it needs softening.
B