I once had a man that I knew throw an obscene hand gesture at me. My response was, “I’m going to pray for you.” Seconds later he walked up to me and said, “you’ve got a good heart.” You see, we did not know each other very well and had only had a few conversations. I am pretty sure that this was the first positive thing that I had ever heard him say. It raises some questions. Why was he like this? The answer to that is that he had a heart condition. How would it have ended differently if I had responded negatively? Who knows, but we do know what happened because I didn’t.
How about you, do you have a heart condition? Are you negative towards people all the time? I’m not talking about your friends, but people that you don’t know well. Like the wait staff at the restaurant. The Walmart employee, the nurse, the bank teller, the teacher, the janitor, etc. Are you rude for no reason? Do you snap because they delay your day 2 seconds. Or do you scold them because they are out of something that you want? Do people dread seeing you coming because you are so negative? Maybe you don’t say anything, but inwardly you look down on those that work in jobs you don’t consider worthy of respect. Then you yourself may have a heart condition.
Do you realize that the person you are talking down to is a human being? I know that sounds rhetorical, but do you treat them as such? Do you know that they are someone’s family member, that may be doing the best that they can? Do you know that they are a soul that matters to Jesus and that He died for?
How about you go through your day trying to be a light in the darkness. There is enough negativity in this world, you don’t need to add to it. How about when you see the waiter or waitress visibly stressed come to your table. Instead of being upset that it took them so long to get to you, enquire about them. Give them the opportunity to breathe and let them know that they are more than their job title. They are someone that Jesus loves. Who knows if they aren’t a wandering soul that someone is praying for. Will you be an answer to prayer or another hurdle that they have to overcome?
Remember that a good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh (Luke 6:45 KJV). It can be summed up in these words: In everything, treat others as you would want them to treat you (Matthew 7:12 NET).
If you have suffered with a heart condition there is hope. Let God fix your heart. As He says I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit within you. I will remove the heart of stone from your body and give you a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26 NET). Bring your heart to Jesus and let Him heal what is damaged.
Ephesians 4:29-32 NET 29 You must let no unwholesome word come out of your mouth, but only what is beneficial for the building up of the one in need, that it may give grace to those who hear. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 You must put away every kind of bitterness, anger, wrath, quarreling, and evil, slanderous talk. 32 Instead, be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also forgave you.