Issues Of The Heart

A hardened heart
Covered in scar tissue
From injuries inflicted
Broken pieces welded together
The fit not quite right

Impermeable to pain, joy or love
Toughened to a point of paralysis
A soft center deep inside
Protected by a thick wall
Of dreams lost and nightmares lived

Each memory, layer by layer
Forging an armor
Impenetrable to all…

But God

…In His mercy and compassion
Quietly calls
To the hidden parts
Still alive and beating

Gently massaged with love and truth
The inner heart swells
Still constricted by the shell

Slowly, awareness builds
Cracks appear
A salve of forgiveness is applied
Scales fall off

The seams self-sewn
Are cut apart, stitch by stitch
Unraveling the past
Making room for the present

Making room for His Presence

4/28/02 Elaine Carlson