Once again, the world got a first hand look at the horrors that come with hearts that have become cold, hardened and dead to humanity.
The carnage that Hamas committed this week on the country of Israel was beyond description.
Only the coldest of hearts could even think of such evil much less carry it out.
Even those who championed the evil perpetrated with rallies, demonstrations, so called victory marches in support of such evil speaks to how easy the heart can get icy if not down right frozen.
We Offer our prayers for the peace of Israel and it's people and that God's comfort will be felt during such a incredibly difficult time.
So, in many ways, from where the vast majority of us sit, outside of praying, checking in on friends who may be affected by such heinous acts, we are limited.
However, the subject of a heart getting cold is not far from any of us. So with that in mind, Forward Friday speaks to the issue that anyone can develop ice around the heart, callousness and sometimes, we wouldn't even see it coming but there are remedies so that our hearts stay warm. And there's good new medicine at the end!
Let's Get Into This!!
There are always little bells that are ringing when issues come up in our lives yet sometimes, we don't hear them or sometimes, we ignore them.
Here are some things to consider this weekend so that we make it a point to do our best to keep our heart warm.
I have known those who, when seeing friends, colleagues and even family gain some success, start to win in the game of life, start to get angry, bitter, upset because why do they get to succeed and I don’t?
Even if it’s not true that we don’t have any successes, we seem to not be able to handle another beginning to succeed in some way shape or form because when the heart grows cold….
Advice We Receive Seems Bad To Us..
Isn’t it crazy that we can be quick to dispense advice but we're not always willing to receive in return because well, what do they know? And it probably wasn’t that long ago that we would have been happy to receive advice but when the heart grows cold……..
Arrogance And Pride...
One is easily offended, resentful, lacks ability to forgive.
It is a strange thing to have known someone for a long time and it would appear that a change happened overnight because an attitude of arrogance, pride among other things shows up and they are now almost untouchable in regard to most anything.
Egotism, a superiority complex, a feeling of self-importance begins to wreak havoc in relationships of all kinds because when the heart grows cold….
Thanklessness And Disappointment
Ingratitude is poisonous. It sometimes starts as a small thing but when we’re not looking, that type of spirit/attitude can grow so big that it affects us in so many ways and it also affects those around us.
I also believe that disappointment is a silent killer. We hope and pray for something but It doesn’t happen in the way we were hoping for. Disappointment begins to set in. Or we are betrayed and are hurt in the process. “Why bother or who cares can creep in?”
At one point or another, everyone will face some sort of disappointment. People are flawed; Life is not predictable. We’ve got to get back up, dust off and keep moving. And again, another reality is the growing of grudges, resentment, or bitterness always hurts us far more than anyone else.
What once was Repulsive or evil to us is no longer that way. If there was anything that this past weekend events of the attack on Israel showed, was not that Hamas was proven to be the barbarians they are but it was the celebrating of the terrorist acts by people of many walks…. Because when the heart grows cold….
But There’s Good News Medicine Cures for A Cold Heart
There are no new methods under the sun to thaw a cold heart but here are a thoughts to help us this weekend.
Take Tiny Steps-Don’t Keep On Keeping Things So Close To The Glove/Heart
Sometimes, when we have been frosty, it seems hard to warm up but it starts with steps.. A kindness, however small are little steps that we can take to make progress.
Healthy outlets to begin to allow our emotions to warm are so important. Letting our guard down and allowing ourselves to feel will help us we look to begin the process to take the ice off the heart…
Some people don’t like what the Bible has to say at times but it has so many of the remedies we need and we sure do need them now.
In fact, the Bible says “Because lawlessness is increased, most people's love will wax/grow cold. It also says......
A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. Psalm 119:7
So I would suggest that what we really need most more than anything is an intervention for the cold heart; a divine one at that.
Here are but a few simple yet powerful things to consider doing to not only thaw the coldness but warm us up again…
The Bible Has Hope For Us..
Simply put, there is so much hope to be found and there is no situation, circumstance or crisis we could ever go through that the Bible Doesn’t address.
Just a few…
Hebrews 12:2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.
Psalms 23: 1-3 The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength.
4 Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.
Psalms 34:18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.
Ezekiel 36:26 I’ll give you a new heart, put a new spirit in you. I’ll remove the stone heart from your body and replace it with a heart that’s God-willed, not self-willed.
Pray: Talk To God
Me? What would I say? Kind of like all the things you’d want to say about anything except, we talk to God and tell him about it all, what’s going on….
As I said before, He can handle whatever we will throw His way.
The Bible says that His hand is not too short that he can’t save nor his ear heavy that he cannot hear….
So… why not talk to him?
Nothing to lose; everything to gain.
It’s Time To Be Grateful
What are we investing in daily? A good investment is a daily attitude of gratitude because so much springs from gratitude.
It's quite something to encounter peace and really, a new mindset because we decide to make a change in how we think and act.
We could build a monster list but one thing I've noticed is that being grateful helps put the light/shine more on what we have than what we don't have.
Serve Someone....
One of the best ways I've found that has helped me when I felt a little hard, a little stiff was to serve, help, care for others. So many times, taking the focus off myself has made a world of difference in my life....
This week; I've made the uncomfortable (not a negative but because of the subject nature) yet important actions of calling my Jewish friends to check in on them and their families, a friend who is in a desperate health fight; those calls and the conversations that have ensued has helped me put in perspective some of the challenges we face.
Serving is a wonderful thing...
This week has been a tough week for many and it will continue to be so for many for a long time.
Could it be said of us that while we bear no resemblance to the heartless, that we make sure that our hearts in no way shape or form grows cold???
It makes a difference!!!
To better days........
Dave
"The true test of civilization is not the census, nor the size of the cities, nor the crops — no, but the kind of man the country turns out." — Ralph Waldo Emerson
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