Today in our sermon I addressed the two possible ways to live as a Christian: First, we can cultivate a small heart. This is the safe path. It costs us nothing. It is virtually pain-free. The other way is to cultivate a ministering heart. Be warned though. This way makes you subject to heart-ache and pain and requires your life.
As I stated in the sermon, C.S. Lewis tells us how to avoid the broken heart that comes from cultivating a minister's heart. I think it profound enough to make it available to everyone who reads this blog.
Hear the words of Lewis (and be sobered):
To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket—safe, dark, motionless, airless—it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable (The 4 Loves, 121).
The small heart is certainly safer--at least on the front end. But in time, the balloon payment comes due for the safe path. Its a high price to pay!
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