Sclerosis

The definition of sclerosis comes down to one concept - hardening. It is typically a hardening of body tissue or other parts of the anatomy.

Sclerosis is also a word that I've become too familiar with recently, and the more I know about it, the more I hate it.

One side of my family is hereditarily affected by amyotrophyc lateral sclerosis (ALS), and the other side has recently become affected by multiple sclerosis (MS).

As with any disease, it is understandable for developments of fear, anxiety, and hopelessness to arise in the hearts of those diagnosed and among their friends and family. It's something I've seen and experienced personally. The problem with these reactions is that, when they come to full fruition, they conceive a different "sclerosis" - a hardening of the heart.

I'm blessed to belong to a family who has put their faith in God. Time and time again, when times have seemed their darkest, we have been able to trust. When everything seemed hopeless, we clung to the only true hope. Where others may only have seen defeat, we have rejoiced in the power of miracles. When doctors have said, "there's no natural explanation for how well you're doing," we took comfort in knowing the Giver of the supernatural reasons.

Sclerosis of the heart is easy to come by. It's natural. It's what the world expects from us. But I firmly believe that God hates it. He desires for us not to be hard of heart, but rather to have a heart for His Spirit. Knowing Him is the only true way to live with the three most important qualities to deal with hardships - faith, hope, and love.

Ezekiel 36:26 (NIV) - I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.

1 Corinthians 13:13 (NIV) - And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

2 Timothy 1:7 (NIV) - For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.

Don't give yourself over to sclerosis of the heart. Instead, let God mold you by giving you the power of His Spirit to overcome all things!

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