The heart.

It starts out small and soft.  Unharmed.  Unmarred.  Beating perfectly.

And in  it’s wondrous conditions, it grows.  Loved, nurtured, protected

But as it outgrows it’s natural protection, as it becomes braver

It exposes itself to things that could hurt it, threatening to harm it

And it has two choices

To harden itself in protection and shrink back into the safe shelter of security

Or to grow and continue expanding beyond safety , keeping its softness, retaining its elasticity

One is the safe, more predictable choice

The other is the dangerous one, the one that exposes the heart to vulnerability and more pain

And one would think that the first choice would be the best

It hurts less.

It risks less.

It costs less.

And perhaps that is the difference right there.

It will always be less.

And while it will hurt and risk and cost more

The second choice also gains so much more.

It will experience things not even dreamed of by the safe, protected heart

Its beating stronger and more powerful than before

And I may be the fool

But my heart, with all its bumps and bruises and cuts

Will always make the second choice

Lord, may the broken parts of my heart

Not be stricken with callouses to heal

But with an increasing tenderness,

Making it prone to pain

But with a softness that finds it ever ready to love a little bigger and a little better than before