While I was sick, God showed me something…I mean, it seems really obvious, but it still seems profound to me.

Each choice I make–every single one–if I hear His voice and do not heed it, I am “practicing” having a hardened heart. I am living as one who has a hard heart. The best way to cultivate a hard heart is to act like I have one now. To hear him say, “No…don’t eat now, you aren’t hungry” and to eat anyhow. To hear him say, “I don’t want you to drink a soda now” and to drink one anyhow. To hear him say “Call that friend” and to do something else with my time instead.

These are ways of cultivating or nuturing a hardened heart. I lived a long time in pride with a hard heart. Do I really want to “practice” having one again?

Instead, I choose to have a soft heart and when it doesn’t seem soft, to act like it is. If I hear his voice, rather than arguing “But, Lord, are you sure?” I will in humility say, “Yes, Lord. I choose to submit to your will.” It doesn’t matter how small or insignificant it seems to be. Or how illogical. I will choose to nurture a soft heart. A soft heart responds at the slightest prompting of the Lord.

I choose to practice having a soft heart!