The good-hearted understand ...

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The good-hearted understand what it’s like to be poor; the hardhearted haven’t the faintest idea. -Proverbs 29:7 MSG

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There is a saying that says that to really understand another you must first walk a mile in their shoes. I think that a compassion for others is often born in hard times. The successful person who once struggled understands what it was like to be in need. The person who once waited tables often is a more generous tipper. One who grew up in poverty is often more sensitive to human needs than one who was raised in a more prosperous setting.

When I think about a good heart I am reminded of the parable of the sower in which Jesus speaks of different kinds of soil. He teaches us that seeds do not grow well in hard ground or soil filled with thorns. He says that the good plowed soil produces an abundant harvest. In a sense the ground is like our heart in that it can be hard, thorny or soft. It speaks to me of how I need to let God's plow run through my heart and break up any part of it that is hard or thorny.

Plow me today dear Lord and remove any hardness in me. Prepare me to receive the seed of your word.

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