A few days ago, while in prayer, I had a vision of Father God, our Great Physician, at work on my heart. He tenderly held my heart in His hands, chiseling away at some white spots. Some parts of my heart were calcified, some had red wounds, and some were healthy and strong.
If you're like me, the longer you serve in leadership, the more intentional you must become at keeping your heart open and fully alive.
The hardness of the heart is a condition that people can easily develop.
Biblically, Pharaoh suffered from it. Israel did on occasion. And the Pharisees specialized in it. Not exactly great company if you ask me. So it's a little bit vulnerable to admit you struggle with it. But I do. I'm on constant guard about keeping my heart open and alive. One of the greatest casualties in leadership is the human heart. So many leaders see their hearts grow hard over time. How does it happen?
Like a physician or paramedic who sees illness or tragedy every day, you develop a way of dealing with the pain that can come from being a leader. And some of that's healthy. But if you don't monitor things carefully, you can move into full seasons where you don't feel much of anything. Your heart can grow hard.
The Bible shares that there are several reasons why a heart grows hard. Pride, unbelief, unconfessed sin and setbacks are areas where the heart can become wounded and, if not treated, eventually hard. Leaders will experience these "heart attacks" over time and must stay on guard to avoid them. The attacks we receive that go uncared for are the ones that can harden the heart.
Jesus knows how it feels to lead and be hurt by those you lead. His word gives us some prescriptions we can follow as leaders to help us in overcoming hardness of heart and keeping our hearts alive and well.
Practice the presence of God daily.
When I saw the Lord at work on my heart, I was having my daily time alone with Him. He is our healer, and we need Him. Let Him search your heart and minister to you every day so that your heart stays pure and healthy. If you must confess, repent, receive His love or forgive, follow His lead.
PRACTICE FORGIVENESS.
The ability to forgive those who hurt us is key to avoiding the development of a hard heart. In failing to forgive, you tie yourself to the person, the event, the words, and the damage. While it may feel you are punishing the person by not forgiving, you are, instead, punishing yourself. Forgive and ask others for forgiveness. Forgiveness leaves no room for harboring offense or meditating on negative emotions that can harden your heart.
Acknowledge YOUR FAULTS.
No one is perfect. Being transparent is one sign of a good leader and removes pride. Humility is a key to being the kind of leader that people follow.
BELIEVE THAT GOD DOES THE IMPOSSIBLE.
When disappointed by those we lead, we can have difficulty trusting and believing in the next person. Avoid comparison. My favorite way to look at people is through the lens of a snowflake. Each person is unique, one of a kind, and beautiful in their way. Don't let the disappointment with one person color the way you see the next. God is at work in every life.
CULTIVATE thankfulness.
Callous people are usually those who see nothing for which to be grateful. The inability or unwillingness to see and give thanks for blessings contributes to hard-heartedness. No matter how deeply wounded you are or how challenging your current circumstances are, you can always find something for which to be thankful. The Bible says we enter God's gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise (Psalm 100:4). If we complain and grumble, who's kingdom are you entering? Think about it.
BE receptive TO GROWTH.
Maintaining the status quo is more effortless than stretching yourself to try something new. Learning, changing, and growing requires a receptive attitude. Don't be afraid to leave the comfort of where you are for the uncertainty of the unknown.
REMAIN PLIABLE.
Remaining pliable helps us endure pressure and stay receptive to God's refining work in our lives. Remaining flexible doesn't mean changing your core beliefs to fit today's shifting morals; it means being pliable under challenging situations and avoiding becoming hardened by hurts and circumstances. God is not in a box, be open to change and the ideas of others.
Every single leader, as a worker, parent, or business owner, has to guard their heart against hardness. God teaches us to protect our hearts because they are the wellsprings of life (Prov. 4:23). He tells us that the mouth speaks what the heart is full of (Matt. 12:34). Listen to the words you are using. Does your heart need the Great Physician like mine? Just nod your head, yes.
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Meet the Author
Judy Capps is an international Christian marketplace and women's speaker. She is a visionary, inspiring the single mother to grab the opportunity and run into destiny through www.hopeofnet.org. Hope is a long-term, transformational housing, education, marketplace, and equipping center for single women with children. For 11 years, Hope has served single-mother families with the time they need to pursue life-changing education, skill set training, and community. The goal is to leave poverty permanently behind. Hope is a multigenerational living experience formed by Steve and Judy Capps that heals the whole family. Judy and her talented team have inspired and trained teams from Orlando, Florida, Memphis, TN, Rochester, NY, and Porto Alegre, Brazil, to launch Hope within their cities. Judy has been featured on PJNET.TV, along with her executive director, Regina Glass, challenging women to say YES to God's plan for their lives, NOW!
The Life of a Single Mom is a national, faith-based, nonprofit that exists to see that no single mom walks alone. To date, the organization has worked with hundreds of churches to start a single mom’s support group in cities throughout the U.S. and beyond, as well as having served hundreds of thousands of single mothers with a variety of programs. Offering a large array of books, curriculum, training materials, online instructional videos, podcasts, newsletters, life skills education, and more, TLSM is one of the largest single mom organizations in the U.S. The robust selection of single mom programs focus on empowering single moms to grow spiritually, emotionally, financially, and parentally through Single Mom University, Single Moms Across America, the National TLSM Single Moms Conference, boot camps, and a variety of other programs. For more information, visit www.thelifeofasinglemom.com.
