I personally know people who have walked around for years
with stony hearts. Instead of working through past difficulties, overcoming
them and forgiving others, they have chosen to live a life of anger, hurt and
bitterness. It would have been easier to bust out of Alcatraz than to bust
through their stony hearts. The walls are built so high that no amount of love
and kindness would even begin to put a dent in their hearts because they refuse
to allow it. However, with God all things are possible, even busting through
these types of walls and hearts. I have personally seen that happen as well.
Case in point. I have spoken at Teen Challenge (an
international Christian-based drug and alcohol in house rehab program) locally for
about three years now, sharing my testimonies and encouraging these young men
that no matter what they have been through, God is bigger and they too can be
overcomers. There was one young man in particular whom I will never forget. I
first saw him sitting in a chapel service I spoke at about two years ago. He
had the look of a rock hard Marine chiseled on his face. I knew without a doubt
that this was the last place he wanted to be at that moment, in a chapel
service. He stared straight ahead and his eyes and tight-lipped mouth did not move
an inch. When I stood next to him, I felt a negative presence within him which
was intimidating, to say the least.
As I left, I could not get this young man out of my mind. I
kept seeing his face and remembering the uneasiness I felt when standing next
to him, almost as if I had been at the gates of Alcatraz. I firmly believe that
God laid this young man on my heart for a very specific purpose, and I began to
pray for him by name and that God would reach through his stony heart and break
him out of this hard wall he had built around himself. I began to have a burden
for this young man that brought me to tears as I prayed for him. I knew without
a doubt that God wanted me to reach out to him and pray for him by name.
A few Sundays later, this group of men came to our evening
church service. I went up to this young man and spoke to him, telling him that I
felt that God wanted me to tell him how much He loved him and how God had laid
him on my heart to pray for him and I encouraged him to stay strong in this
fight. I also said something to the effect that I believed he would overcome
this and that God would use him in a very special way some day. Frankly, I don’t
remember everything I said to him but I do know that God gave me the words to
say and as scared as I was to go up to him and encourage him as I did (I do not
normally go up to strangers and strike up conversations like this), I felt a
strong urgency to talk to him and tell him I was praying for him. After that, I
gave him a hug. Again, this is something I don’t do to strangers, but I felt
led to do so at that particular moment.
He was very tall, stared straight ahead as I spoke and stood
like a stone statue as I reached out and hugged him. His eyes did not budge and
neither did the frown. I don’t even know if he realized what was going on or
heard anything I said. To be honest, it was out of my comfort zone big time to
say these things to a total stranger, much less hug one. I almost felt stupid
for all of that afterwards, but felt so strongly led to do so beforehand, I still
went through with it. Then I began to have doubts; you know, when you do the
right thing though it was very difficult and uncomfortable but you did it
anyway and then Satan beats you up for it. Then I began to overthink it and
even began to talk myself into thinking I just made a fool out of myself…for a
few minutes. Then I stood straight up, gave myself a crash course in Overcoming
Doubt and moved on. I continued to pray for this young man every day.
A few months later, I went back and spoke again at the
chapel service. Same young man was there. This time, the stony eyes and hard mouth
were gone. There was a tiny hint of softness in his face and he actually seemed
to be listening to what I was speaking on that particular night. If I remember
correctly, he even shook my hand after my testimony and said thank you for the
words I shared. Sometime after that, I went up to him again after a Sunday
evening service and he looked like a completely different man…unrecognizable!
He brightened up when I went over to him and he started talking so much I could
hardly keep up. I am still stunned by the radical transformation that God did
in his life!
Even though some people choose to remain stony-hearted, a
few are reached by a single person who goes out of their comfort zone by
sharing some encouraging words, reaching out with a hug and praying for them by
name on a daily basis. If you notice someone like this, ask God to give you the
courage to reach out to them in love. God could use you as the first stepping
stone to break through their stony heart when nobody else would even dare try. Sometimes
it takes a stranger with a burden to begin to break the walls of a stony heart
just enough that they begin to open up their heart to God and allow Him to work
on their heart the rest of the way.
This is only possible with God as He works through us when
we are obedient to his call. Ezekiel 36:26 states, “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.” Indeed, he can…and does!
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