My husband and I had just had a discussion. Some might call it an argument and be correct, but I’ll stick with calling it a discussion.
What had started as a calm debate escalated as we both tried, not so successfully, to make our differing opinions heard. Our granddaughter was upstairs playing, but I knew she could hear our conversation.
“How does it make you feel when you hear Nana and Papa argue?” I asked our girl.
“I want to comfort you,” replied my petite five-year-old.
“You have a big heart, little one.”
She raised her eyes to meet mine and asked, “You can have a big heart and still have a brave heart, can’t you Nana?”
What a great question. I needed to think about this one before giving an answer.
Micah, an Old Testament prophet says not only is it possible, it is also what our Heavenly Father says is right and even demands of His children. A big heart puts mercy as its first concern. A brave heart sees that justice is done. A heart which humbly obeys God in this world must be both brave and big.
If God demands it, then He also promises to help us achieve it. He doesn’t promise it will be easy, yet we must strive to attain it. When our culture does not agree with our Christian worldview, we need to have big, brave hearts. Be fair. Be nice. Obey God. When fellow Christians stray, we need to have big, brave hearts. Be fair. Be nice. Obey God. When I stray, I need to have a big, brave heart.
“Can it be both?”
I looked into her eyes before answering. “Absolutely, my girl. It’s the best kind of heart to have.”
Ask God to examine your heart. Is it big and brave?
(Photo courtesy of morguefile and MichelleBulgaria.)
(For more devotions, visit us at www.christiandevotions.us.)
Tonya Brown is a writer, speaker, and mentoring coach who is captivated by the power of story. Her short stories can be found in Guideposts Extraordinary Answers to Prayer series and in Bethany House’s Love is a Flame. Tonya is a Midwestern transplant who loves living in the South. Her home in Rock Hill, South Carolina, allows her easy access to the sandy shores or mountain vistas of the Carolinas. She is the founding and current president of Word Weavers Charlotte. Visit her blog at www.irisinked.blogspot.com or email her at tonya_j_brown@msn.com.