Callouses
I remember working around the farm as a young man and getting blisters on my hand that later developed into callouses. Callouses is the thickened or hardened skin that forms mostly on hands as we do repetitious chores. It is also known as the boney healing tissue that forms around the end of a broken bone. I have callouses on my fingers from playing the guitar. They actually serve as a protection against the nerve endings just under the skin.
I remember first hearing the phrase “blisters (callouses) on my heart” from a Rich Mullins song. I think about this often, because I grew up in church and I’ve known the Lord a long time. I don’t want callouses to form on my heart. Jesus spoke to this issue when speaking to His disciples. Check this out…
15 For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’ 16 But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. 17 For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it. (Matthew 13:15-17 NIV). I remember when I served on staff of a church and saw different people come asking for financial help, I became jaded to the people who actually needed help. I began to think of most needy people as deceptive and lazy. That part of my heart became hard. I’ve naively helped lazy and deceptive people before. I think the Lord will hold them responsible for their behavior as I was trying to honor Him.
I want to clearly hear the Lord speak to me today and every day. I don’t want callouses to form on my heart and to deaden my hearing and cause my eyes to not see. I want to see what He sees and hear what He hears. I want my heart to be tender and touched by Him. I want to avoid blisters/callouses on my heart no matter what.
Pressing On! Dwayne