The biggest take away was a phrase she used: "it takes a hard fight to keep a soft heart." I read that last summer, during a time that was particularly challenging for me, spiritually, relationally, and emotionally. I was having my own struggle with keeping a soft heart and her words were challenging and encouraging.
It takes hard work to keep my heart soft.
It's a battle. A daily battle.
And what's a soft heart? One that hopes and trusts and looks forward, even when it seems there is no runway or reason to.
Life can be really hard and we have a choice in how we respond to it: we can shake our fist and let cynicism and self pity move in; or we can fight the hard fight and choose to accept and grow from the pain and let it mature us, resulting in a soft heart. The destinations of these two choices are drastically different.
That summer I started looking for ways to remind me to fight this fight. It included making lists of things I'm grateful for; and being on the lookout for the beautiful in the simple and everyday things, like heart designs in lattes and raindrops on leaves.
Then I decided to get techie and create the hashtag "#hardfightsoftheart". More recently, I started an Instagram account called hard fight | soft heart. Here I am using some of my older photos and combining them with verses, quotes, and promises that remind me the keep up the hard fight for a soft heart.
What are the things you're battling against, things that are hard, things that call you toward cynicism and self pity? What reminds you to keep up the hard fight for a soft heart? I beckon you into this battle and welcome you to share about your own fight.
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