Callous Heart

Callousness is easy – the road that cowards take

It promises protection from the pain that suffocates

But, in its jagged-edged lies

We find the remnants of a truth

That behind this cold and hollow callousness

Hearts lay dying - shrivelling up in bitterness.

As it promises protection, it instead creates a tomb

The façade of ‘powerful’ indifference

Has always been an untrustworthy witness

So, beware the misleading moment of independence

It’s not coming from a ‘stronger’ you

It’s because you didn’t grab on to

The healing grace flowing through forgiveness.

Hearts of stone don’t feel much

They become calcified in their lack of trust

Hearts of flesh will bleed and bruise

But theirs is the real freedom

The power - to love, to choose.

This is what I tell the person

Looking into the mirror’s eyes

That no amount of false protection

Can save me from my heart’s demise.

So, I choose to brave the great unknown

Trusting just One Protector to hold my heart – my home

Choosing forgiveness – the key to these shackles

Beckoning others to follow my footsteps

Together, raising the standard of what we thought of redemption

Walking up these mountains with hearts wide open

Trusting Love and Truth and Mercy to usher in His Kingdom.

Mercy, even for me

Mercy, even for you

Healing of every calloused heart

But more than that – wholeness, too.

The work that only our Father can do!

A picture I took December of 2017 on top of Stone Mountain in Atlanta, Georgia.