A question keeps echoing in my mind: How big is your heart? This isn't just a sentimental query—it's a challenge, a call to introspection, and a pursuit to be what you truly are, the image and likeness of God.
Most of my corporate career has been in the New England region of America. As a minority woman who newly migrated to America with no family or deep roots in this region, I had to build relationships and start from scratch. I needed to establish trust with the people as I began my career in banking. With numerous banks around, the competition was fierce. Even among managers, the pressure to perform was intense. It was a cutthroat environment, where thick skin was a necessity. Over time, my skin and heart grew thicker and harder—mostly as a form of self-protection.
At the height of my very successful career, I found myself with a big head, thick skin, and a very protected heart. But as I grew in my relationship with God and began yielding to Him, I realized something crucial: I was lacking love. Love for the very people He died for.
1 John 4:7-8 reminds us, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” I wasn’t in denial about my shortcomings. When someone wronged or hurt me, my first thought was often, "Let's see who has the last laugh. I have my place secure in heaven." But deep down, I knew this was wrong thinking. So I began praying, asking the Father to teach me to love like He loves, to let me see people as He sees them. And thus, my journey of love began.
Recently, I read the book Make Your Bed by Admiral William H. McRaven, where he mentions, “Only the size of your heart matters.” This phrase lodged itself in my mind and heart. I began pondering, “How big is my heart?”
As I drove to the office this morning, I prayed through a list I often go through. One of the points I read aloud and prayed was, “Lord, let me be vulnerable and love like I have never been hurt before.” As soon as I spoke these words, I felt the love of the Father and His love for me—love like I have never hurt Him before. Then, instantly, I thought, Oh my Goodness… You love people as if they have never hurt You before. You have a big, big, big heart.
Ezekiel 36:26 says, “And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” This is the transformation God promises us—a heart that is soft, loving, and open.
In a world that often demands we harden ourselves for self-preservation, God's love calls us to be vulnerable, to love deeply and unconditionally. It's a radical kind of love, one that forgives and embraces, even when it's been wronged or offended. It's a love that reflects the very heart of God.
The journey of expanding our hearts isn’t the easiest. It requires us to let go of past hurts, to forgive, and to see others as God sees them. But it's a journey worth taking, a choice worth making, because as we grow in love, we represent Him well. And in the end, only the size of our hearts truly matters.
So, how big is your heart?
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