Photo Taken by Cherie
When you have been hurt, have you ever noticed how fast the hurt within your heart can change to bitterness? Bitterness can make your heart become a heart of stone. But that’s not all, that heart of stone can destroy relationships and keep you from being all that God created you to be.
Recently my heart was sadden because of the bitterness that I saw growing within the hearts of two precious people. Because of a prior spat these two allowed their hearts to become bitter and hard. Yet their bitterness was not only affecting their own relationship, it was affecting others as well. As I watched this, I realized that my own heart was become bitter and hard because of this division. You see there is a misconception—the misconception that time heals. But, as I’m fond of saying, time does not heal a broken heart, it all depends upon what people do with time.
Well, just this morning as my husband and I were talking about this heartbreaking situation he read to me Ephesians 4:32 taken from his devotions:
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
That’s what God calls us to do. The moment that something happens within a relationship we are to be kind and compassionate to one another and we are to forgive each other. If we would just do this, immediately, situations wouldn’t get out of hand and affect others that we love.
While, on the other hand, although the situation is out of my control and my heart may break over this division between these two precious people, I am also blessed to know that God understands my heartache. Yet, although He understands, He still does not want my heart to become a heart of stone.
So what am I to do?
Recently I was blessed, once again, to watch Pam and Michael Rozell from the Potter’s Field Ministry (you can click on the link below to see a short video about them). Pastor Michael teaches the truth of God’s Word as he demonstrates how a craftsman makes a vessel on the potter’s wheel. During the demonstration he shared something that especially caught my interest. He shared how a person can take a dry, seemingly ruined lump of clay and as it is immerse in water, it will become moldable and pliable once again making the lump of clay valuable—something that can now be useful to the potter.
Well, just as in this demonstration of the clay, we too can have a heart that is soft and moldable, useful to the Master, if we will just allow our wounded hearts to be immersed unto the Living Water. And although my heart is wounded, sometimes on a daily bases, as I run to the Master Potter and immerse my heart into His Living Water He will be faithful to soften my heart so that I can become all that He created me to be in the midst of my heartbreak. Listen to what refreshed me during my own daily devotions. Ezekiel 36:26 says:
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.
“Thank you, Lord! Help me not to react out of my hurt and pain. Don’t let my heart become bitter and hard. Allow me to run to You and be immersed in Your Living Water so that in the midst of the painful trials you will keep my heart soft and pliable so that I can be Your vessel of honor, useful for the Master’s work. Amen!”
I’m looking forward to your comments. Have you noticed your heart getting a little bit hard lately? Don’t allow hurt and bitterness to destroy the relationships that God desires you to have.
Click here to see video
pottersfield.org
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