A Soft Heart

I don't know about you, but it is a constant struggle for me to make time to truly stop and let God speak to my heart. . . or maybe I should say, for me to stop and LISTEN to God speaking to my heart.  In the mornings I am distracted by a mindful of things that I need to get done, and in the evenings I can't seem to keep my eyes open (and my brain turned on!).  Sunday mornings in church I am a captive audience.  :)

I have been thinking lately, asking myself questions about how much heartache a heart can hold.  My heart aches in missing Sara, I ache for friends and loved ones who are going through difficult times, I ache for my precious kids at school. . . . . and the list goes on.  Often my answer (to myself) is to try to stop "feeling". . . put up barriers and defenses, keep on plowing forward, and just don't let anyone get too close.  Listening to Woody's message this morning I realized that doing that usually just hardens my heart. . . . toward others, and often toward what God is trying to do in my life.  This week I even found myself wondering. . . . How does God hold the heartache of the world?  We have a hard time "bearing one another's burdens" because we are often weighed down with our own.  We are told to "cast ALL our cares upon Him, for He cares for us".  HOW DOES HE DO THAT?  What an awesome thought that God is big enough to handle EVERYONE'S cares being cast upon him.  I can't really even wrap my brain around that one.  And. . . that is my problem.  I need to quit trying to wrap my brain around it, and just trust Him to hold my heart. 

Lord, thank you for bearing the heartache of the world.  Thank you for the HOPE we have in trusting You.
Please keep my heart soft in loving You and pouring out Your love to others.