Jesus replied, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”- Matthew 22:38-39
In Chapter 11 (“But Rescue Us from the Evil One: Be Fully Alive”), the concluding chapter of The Wall Around Your Heart, author Mary DeMuth asserts that Satan has won a giant battle if he can cause us to question God’s goodness. However, if Satan isn’t successful, he’ll do the next best thing- alienating us from others. It’s so easy to give in to selfishness when we live in stoic isolation. Our hearts may be protected, but for what purpose? Mary explains:
“That wall around your heart that you’ve cherished, protected, and rebuilt after each offense doesn’t hurt others as much as it hurts you. It separates you from God, even though you might reason that walling yourself off doesn’t have anything to do with your view of God.”
But it does. Mary notes that when Jesus asked us to pray “but deliver us from evil”, He was asking us to do more than refrain from sinful behavior. He was charging us to be fully alive, openhearted, and willing to risk loving others despite the chance of being hurt again.
God built us for “adventurous impact”. A life of significance can’t happen without other people.
Today’s question: What Bible verses have been most effective in tearing down the wall around your heart?
Tomorrow’s blog: “Escaping Satan’s relational traps”
New addition to Crown Jewels: “The Professor of Perseverance” (written at the actual time of Rudy’s funeral)