A New Heart

As far back as I can remember I have loved to cook. Oh I have fond memories of an amazing play kitchen we got as a child. My sister and I would make all sorts of imaginary culinary surprises. Sometimes we would sneak into the kitchen and get real ingredients and play with them and then try to convince each other to try them out. My sister was a prankster and her culinary idea was pouring jalapeño juice in your milk if you left the table momentarily, so I was always reluctant to try her concoctions.
Fast forward 35 years and you throw some kids in the mix and a husband and work and schedules and cooking can become a chore.

When you have to prepare dinner day in and day out, it loses some of it’s charm. Especially if it is cooking healthier choices and requires lots of prep time.

I seem to do a lot of chopping lately so I have noticed a callus formed on my index finger from my new knives. ( Ok, Confession …my husband’s new knife set I bought him last Christmas that I really wanted )

Each day when I grab the knife and begin to chop, it hits this callus and irritates it over and over keeping it sore and the callus growing. I get resentful of having to chop and cook and prepare food with this little callus as a reminder. I started getting really irritated about it and contemplated going on a cooking strike, but instantly I turned that around and started declaring how grateful I was that I can prepare good food for my family. That even though my finger is sore and callused, it is worth it to have healthy food.

I started thinking back to a time when my heart was callused. I had a very hard and callused heart for way too many years. When I was wounded or hurt, I would just let it sit there, one on top of each other. Each blow would form a new hard spot, and every time it just kept adding to that spot and before I knew it I had developed a hard, stone like, callused up heart.

It becomes large, tender and cumbersome. It prevents any good from coming into our heart. It weighs us down.

Thankfully God peeled back each hardened layer of my heart and I was able to release each wounding to Him. To finally fully give them all to Him was hard. I have to say, some days I would have to visualize handing over the person or situation to Jesus or laying it down at His feet while I sobbed uncontrollably. It does not happen overnight. It takes time and God to be able to do it. The saying, Let Go and Let God. That is what I had to do. I am so thankful that I don’t have that hard heart anymore.

So today I happily chop away praising God that my finger may be callused but not my heart!

Are you holding onto hurts, disappointments, or woundings that you have carried for way too long? Are they weighing you down? Are you ready to Let Go and Let God have them?

Stop and visualize handing each of them to God as you pray.

Dear Heavenly Father, I don’t want to live one moment longer with a bitter, hard, hardened, stony, callused up heart. I want a new heart as you promised in Your word. Help me to forgive and let go of all the woundings, hurts, and disappointments that are preventing me from having a tender heart. Your word promises rest and that if we take on Your yoke and learn from You that we will find rest. You promise that your yoke is easy and your burdens light. Lord peel back each layer and help me come to you and fully release all my burdens. I can’t carry them anymore. I lay them all at your feet Lord, never to pick them back up. Help me to forgive fully like You. Thank You that you make all things new. Thank You for my new tender and responsive heart! In Jesus’ name. Amen!

Some great promises to memorize:

“And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.” ~ Ezekiel 36:26 NLT

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” ~ Matthew 11:28-30 NIV

~XXOO Michelle Bollom