THE HARD HEART: A TRUE STORY




THE HARD HEART

A true story

Mr. C____ was the elderly patriarch of his family. His wife was a godly woman, but he never went to church nor professed to be a Christian (at least not to my knowledge). He was in his mid-eighties and showed no signs of any concern about eternity.

Until he retired Mr. C_____ ran a small country store beside the highway not far from my childhood home. He was famous for “stretching the truth” by telling some unsuspecting customer that a neighbor had “passed away” that morning. My grandmother once answered the door to find a sad old gentleman standing there giving his condolences regarding my grandfather’s death. “Mrs.Eva, I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am to hear about Mr.Tharon’s passing.” About that time my grandfather came to the door to greet the startled gentleman.

Mr. C’s favorite target was an elderly man named Mr Faircloth; and occasionally as people came into the store, Mr. C_____ would tell them that the gentleman had died that day or the day before. When I was a teenager, I was passing by and stopped for a pepsi. As I walked into the store, Mr.C____ met me with sad eyes and said, “Son, did you know that old man Faircloth died this morning?” Without a moment’s pause I responded, “What! Again!” Mr. C. shook his head and burst out laughing. I think he was very fond of me after that.

My mother and I visited him one evening when he was in his late eighties and recuperating from a heart attack. “Mr. C_____,” I asked, “When you had your heart attack, did you call the preacher to come pray for you?”
“Hell, no!” he replied emphatically and without hesitation, “I thought I was dying. I called the doctor!” As far as I know, he maintained that disposition right up until the day no doctor could save him, when he stood before God to face eternity.

Mr. C_____ wanted nothing to do with church, and some of his sons followed his example. They were very unusual in their philosophical approach to God. They were neither atheists nor agnostics. They believed in God; they just didn’t respect most of the church people they knew. They did, however, on occasion show a subtle appreciation for anyone they perceived to be a genuine Christian. One of his sons asked me to visit and pray for his mother when she was ill. That same son when dying was asked if he wanted to give his life to Jesus. He was very serious when he replied, “All my family is in hell. I just as well go be with them.” Within a few weeks he was gone. Facing certain death, he was willing to face an uncertain eternity.

It is a precious thing to have a heart that is soft and responsive to the Holy Spirit. On the other hand, it is so sad how people can allow their hearts to become so hardened that they show no interest in seeking God or knowing Him. It is an awful gamble to enter eternity hoping God grades on a curve or expecting to “get in” because your good outweighs your bad. How can anyone be apathetic, unconcerned, and careless with his eternal soul. There is so much at stake, it seems everyone would at least “turn aside” to see.

We are like marred vessels in the hands of the potter. He holds us in the palm of his hand and molds and shapes us as we surrender our hearts to the Holy Spirit who moves upon us like water over the clay on the potter’s wheel. The Lord knows our frame and understands our tendency to harden and to forget. But He works to soften our hearts as we surrender daily in prayer, obedience, and faith. On a few occasions Jesus warned the disciples about their hard hearts. But he did not reject them. He worked with them to help them learn, grow, and change. He does the same with us.

Then I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was , making something at the potter’s wheel. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hands of the potter; so He made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make. Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?’ says the Lord. ‘Look, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand,” Jeremiah 18: 3-6.                           ---Billy Long       
 
 

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