HARDENS

Proverbs 28:14 – Blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied) is the man who reverently and worshipfully fears [the Lord] at all times [regardless of circumstances], but he who HARDENS his heart will fall into calamity.

When snow and ice hit Greensboro, North Carolina we tend to freak out and close up shop. Our Southern climate isn’t accustomed to such elements. We were recently hit with several inches of the white stuff with subsequent freezing rain, ice and frigid temperatures. Anyone who has ever tried to negotiate the ice knows how tricky and downright dangerous it is. One false move, one slip, and down you go. The water that once was welcomed for its nourishment has hardened and has therefore become a danger, an accident waiting to happen for anyone who comes in contact with it.

Our hearts are much like the ice at times. The thermostat of our emotions, the atmosphere of our soul regulate the consistency of our hearts. If we allow our hearts to harden [regardless of the circumstances] then the natural course of events will be a slip and a fall. Again, God puts it in terms we can plainly understand. If we choose to worship and fear the Lord we can expect a “springtime of the heart,” blessings showered down. If, however, we harden our hearts, we are told in no uncertain terms that just as water freezes into ice and becomes a slippery, hazardous surface, so we too will yield a fall into calamity.

Slipping on ice is sudden and violent. Before you know what has happened or could even try to catch yourself you’re down on the ground. This greatly resembles the hardened life lived without God. You’re walking along one day, and seemingly from out of nowhere the rug is pulled out from under you. Ask God today to warm your heart with the Light of His presence. Seek Him daily to regulate the thermostat of your mind, will and emotions. Stay warm, my friends.