A Heart Defined by God, Not Circumstances – April 9th, 2024

Hello Friends and Family,

I really felt compelled to share something that I had read and watched today from the Bible App concerning the Verse of the Day. Today’s Verse of the Way is Ezekiel 36:26 which reads: “And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.”

I loved and really appreciated today’s Verse of the Day Video. I can relate to the speaker, Kathryn (from Hope Heals), as I myself have a disability that was beyond my control, mine known as Brachial Plexus Injury (or Brachial Plexus Palsy).

Like she stated, it’s easy to develop a hardened heart, especially towards God but also to the world. We may grow a hardened heart out of frustration, asking God why he allowed something like Kathryn’s situation (a stroke) or like my situation (being pulled out by my arms when I was born) to occur. We develop this offensive unit of questions, in a sense, accusing God, and asking God “WHY ME?!”

We might grow a hardened heart towards the world because we know that the world is not kind. For me, I faced years of bullying throughout elementary, middle and high school. This often led me to question God why I was made. Why make me if I’m going to have these imperfections and struggles. And while I was younger, I had a resentment towards God because of it.

But it is now, that I’m able to look back and see the reason. Just as Kathryn stated in the video, through this, I have been able to minister to people in new ways. I have been able to the empathetic listener for others who might have been dismissed or ignored, and a big reason for that is because I understand where they’re coming from. But if God didn’t allow me to experience the circumstances that I have, I wouldn’t be able to understand like I do. So while I could be bitter, I’m grateful, because instead of being bitter, I’ve worked towards becoming better!

The hope I have regarding my circumstance and disability resides in this verse: ”And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.“
‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭28‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Even with something like a circumstance that led to a disability, God can still work in a way where He receives the glory through it.

As encouragement to you all of what God is capable of; doctors told me that I wouldn’t be able to do anything and that I would be a vegetable my entire life. And if you know me now, I am anything but that! I am an active individual who goes to the gym, swims, plays sports like pickleball, does rock climbing, etc. Praise God! And so while I could allow myself to be defined by what people say or my life circumstances, I allow God to define me. I am not defined by my disability or the circumstances that led to it, rather, I use it  as a platform for my testimony to show what God has done in my life and as the eyes of empathy that I look through. Because I understand what others have walked through (loss of ability, bullying, rejection, etc.), I can now empathize and minister to those who are walking through similar experiences.

So all in all, may we not allow our circumstances to harden our hearts, but rather allow God to soften our hearts and help those who are walking through similar paths. Love y’all and I can’t wait to update you all on some more items coming up soon!
– Hunter Land