A balance of tough-mindedness and tender-heartedness is essential to living within the Reign of God - from "The Strength to Love, by Martin Luther King, Jr.
Jesus frequently illustrated the characteristics of the hardhearted. The rich fool was condemned, not because he was not terminated, but rather because he was not tenderhearted. Life for him was a mirror in which he saw only himself, and not a window through which he saw other selves. Dives went to hell not because he was wealthy, but because he was not tenderhearted enough to see Lazarus and because he made no attempt to bridge the gulf between himself and his brother.
Tough-minded people can be tenderhearted. Sometimes it is easy to think that those who are able to make sharp decisions and question why things are "this way" and not "that way" are people whose hearts can be hard. But that is not at all the case. There is a balance that must be a part of every one's life so that we avoid the movement toward being hard-hearted. Tough-mindedness and tender hearts must go together as we enter this day as the beloved of God walking within God's Reign. When this balance is lost - the community in which we live is easily torn apart. The tear happens because we fall in the trap of considering other people as objects we can use to make our own lives better. And yet, our own lives are not better when we go through the day seeing others only as we want to see them - something to be used or something to be cast aside. The Good News of the Reign of God is news that makes our hearts fertile ground for a whole new way to be a community in which the least and the greatest are connected and the welfare of each other is of utmost consideration as we move through the day.
Connection: I think tender hearts must be nurtured. It is a daily discipline. Otherwise, it is very easy to become so self-absorbed with the stuff we think is so absolutely vital for our well-being, that we never leave the mirror no matter who we are with.
Within the bounds of your Reign, O God, we see the vast collection of your saints. It is a gathering that is quite beyond our comprehension and therefore a community we do not let ourselves enjoy. But you continue to invite us to share in a life that allows us to see others as gifts to the day and ourselves as a gift that can be given to others. Continue to inspire our vision and our action. Amen.
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