The Heart of the Issue

I come from a family of big-hearted people. I married into a big-hearted family, and together, we’ve created enormously hearted children. We feel things acutely. We cannot abide wrongs. We seek out rights. We tether ourselves to the TRUTH in Scripture, and we live OUT LOUD!!!!

The problem with a big heart is that it often gets broken. I’ve been told my whole life that I have an enormous heart. I’ve been cautioned. I’ve been criticized. I’ve been admired. I’ve been condemned, but I’ve never felt the need to apologize for my big heart. I’ve jumped in without looking. I’ve loved recklessly. I’ve loved wrongly. I’ve loved rightly, but with God’s help I’ve always loved wholly.

Our family is currently going through the most heart wrenching time we’ve faced. Our hearts are completely broken. We wake up crying. We go to sleep crying. We all cry. We weep. We ALL have enormous hearts, and right now our oversized compassions are throbbing.

Tonight, after I’ve held my sobbing husband in my arms and then my sobbing sons, only to remove myself in order to grieve in my own solitude; I’ve asked myself the question if it would not be better to close ones’ self off…. to shrink one’s heart…. to eliminate the prospective of potential pain? My conclusion: NEVER!!!!!

In spite of the pain, in spite of the cost, in spite of the gamble, in spite of the loss... I, we, will and must always choose LOVE! We must always choose trust, for in this lies hope, for in this lies faith, and in this lies truth… The origin of which is Christ.

I could have chosen the easier road. I could have chosen a more comfortable path, but I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God created this heart, my heart, for an enormity, which could never be accomplished without a tremendous amount of pain.

Tonight, each and every member of our family feels the pain, but as we say our prayers and count our blessings, we are so incredibly grateful to our Creator for entrusting all of us with tenacious, fearless, lay it all on the line, consider the chance and take it…HEARTS!