Allow God to soften your heart, so it can blossom
Submitted by Annettee Budzban, Inspirations
“… he who hardens his heart falls into trouble.” #8212; Proverbs 28:14 (NIV) Spring is here! Bringing with it the many blessings of a new season. The birds are chirping melodious songs. Robins are digging for worms through the hardened soil. As I look at my fence line, I imagine the colorful flowers that will push forth through the hardened soil as well. It amazes me, each year, how they manage to come forth through the hard dirt grave that covers them.
As I think about the spring rains, and the puddles they produce, I realize they are needed to soften the soil so the flowers can poke their way through to the daylight.
The hardened soil of spring serves as a reminder to me that sometimes our hearts are like that, holding back the flowers that want to bloom.
When trouble, suffering and hardship come, if we keep our hearts hardened to the good that can be worked out through them, then nothing good is able to bloom in our lives#8212; there is no beauty like the colorful blossoms to behold.
Often when this happens, we notice where there were once words of love, words of bitterness and resentment blurt out of our mouths, causing hurt and pain to everyone in our path. Walls of hardness come between us and others troubling our situations and stressing our relationships.
Sometimes, the situations and the disappointments of life get too hard to bear, and anger sets in. We either never learn to accept the blows, or never learn to overcome them.
Sometimes, the daily struggles of life wear us down, and we start to retaliate with bitterness, thinking this is the way to survive.
The fact is, life isn#146;t always a bed of roses, but dealing with it by using bitterness and resentment paves the way to many missed opportunities, and only increases our daily hurt and pain. We become more miserable and unable to cope with our hurt.
When we allow God in our hearts, amid our hurt and pain, he can mold and shape our lives into something better than we ever imagined.
Many people have taken their bitter circumstances and found something constructive to do so they can turn the situation for the good.
With the help of God, when we set our mind to overcome bitterness, our outlook on life starts to change. Over time, Christ#146;s love sprinkles our hearts like a soft gentle rain #8212; then our hard hearts can soften and something beautiful can grow in our lives.
Ÿ Annettee Budzban can be conatcted at Annetteebudzban@aol.com