1 minute, 13 seconds

“I brought you a gift from the North Shore!” My young friend’s eyes twinkled as she placed a heart-shaped stone in my palm.

I am guilty of droning on to this sweet girl about my favorite place on earth, and I once told her about my decades-long habit and passion for collecting heart-shaped rocks. So this generous friend sought to dually honor me with something precious to me from the shores of Lake Superior.

I looked for and picked up my very first heart-shaped stone all those years ago because of a Spirit-revealed need deep within me. Rock shaped hearts remind me of my daily need for the life-giving, heart-softening work of Jesus.

To this day, I frequently contribute to my unique collection of heart-shaped Ebeneezer stones, which remind me of my constant need for Jesus and Ezekiel 11:19-20.

“I will give them one heart and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them.”

I learned that in the Hebrew culture, having a “heart of stone” means that the core of one’s being is lifeless.
Lifeless. This is our hopeless state apart from Jesus’ transformative work in our lives.

One fine mid-west autumn day 37 years ago God changed my life, heart, and soul’s trajectory forever. God did a spiritual heart transplant on me that September day. And for 13,505 days, God has faithfully continued to soften hard places and smooth rough edges of my feisty, self-centered, impatient, insecure self.

Apart from God’s generous and ongoing work, my heart would fossilize. Any softness within me or that comes out of me, any desire or ability to walk uprightly, all the confidence I have in Christ is evidence of His generous and ongoing work within me.
I’m grateful to God for new life in Jesus, for do-overs and fresh morning mercies. I’m so thankful for the amazing and miraculous grace that transforms even the stoniest of hearts.