The Power of a New Heart

When I first started teaching, I was most caught off guard by how much I loved my students. I mean, I knew I would love them but I did not know how I could possibly love 130 of them equally. Impossible, right?  My first year taught me just how wrong I was. I love those little stinkers and I worry about them constantly. The thought of anything happening to them makes me cry. I regularly pray for my students, both as a group and individually, because I know I can't keep them safe but God can. I was not always this way. In fact, before I started teaching, I took pride in how unemotional I could be. I refused to admit when I was hurt, and I was holding on to a lot of anger. 

My students managed to get to me in a way no one else had been able.  Through them, I began to see the world in a new light. I focused less on having everything be perfect and more on bring there for others. I used to think that meant having my own life in order and giving the best advice, but they showed me that it is really all about being excited for them. They could not care less if I don't have answer for them, they just want me to sit next to them and CARE. 

In today's morning prayer, one of the canticles was from Ezekiel 36. It says "I will give you a new heart and place a new spirit within you, taking from your bodies your stony hearts and giving you natural hearts."  God wants for us to remain open to him so that He can work through us. When I was hurting, I hardened my heart so much no one could get in, let alone God. Luckily, He loves us so much that nothing can stop him. Especially during Lent, stay focused on ways we can grow closer to God so that he can place a new spirit within us. 

What are the ways that you are hardening your heart?