People love to open wide their heart to their pet. Every time I walk in a park, I see both pet owners and passersby showing great affection and kindness to pets. I also see passersby humbly opening their heart to babies, toddlers, and little children. Why is that?
People need and long-for innocent and open heart-to-heart connections. But in this stressed-out world it takes a lot of courage to honestly open your heart to an adult (or a teenager or an adolescent). You can quickly get burned by doing that. However, for the most part, it’s safe to be open, humble, and even silly with pets and with tiny children.
I believe that pets are used as a substitute for the human desire for heart-intimacy. We give and receive sincere affection to and from a pet because it’s easier and safer (and we perceive it as more rewarding) than doing so with a human. We tend to trust our pets to return our kindness more than we trust people to. I’ve even seen married couples who show more warmheartedness, attention, and tenderness to their pet than they do to each other.
However, I’ve also discovered that kindly and compassionately opening your heart to people is an amazing thing and produces incredible results. When people perceive you to be sincere about genuinely hearing their heart, they begin to open up to you (sometimes gradually and sometimes all at once).
I was the counselor in a rehab center for 5 1/2 years and caringly listened to about 1,400 men open their heart to me one-to-one. I listened compassionately as they shared their pain, their self-destruction, their brokenness, and the pain they caused others. I was amazed at their honesty. Their heart-revealing stories touched my heart. Sometimes we cried together. We often laughed together. Almost every one of them wanted me to pray with them. We became friends and during their stay they would come to me and open their heart. They would hug me. And they would thank me.
About 12 years after I left that rehab center a homeless man passed by me on the street. Suddenly he turned around, called me by name, and hugged me. He said thank you several times. Then he let me go and told me that he had been in the rehab center. He said, “I’m homeless again but I still remember you and how much you helped me.” I was deeply moved.
Human heart-connection is extremely powerful. How we lonely (or superficial) humans need more of it! Let’s be more open to people than to pets. But how?
Be courageous. Be a risk taker. Genuinely care about all people. Approach people with warmth and kindness. Express heart-felt concern about them. Listen to them with compassion. Be vulnerable. Don’t let it be one-sided. Share your own struggles with them.
Human governments
Rise and fall
But the government
Of the Lord of All
Will never fall.
The kingdom of God
Is within you.
Hear His inner call.
Let Him train your heart
To be Spirit-led.
With the risen Christ
As your living Head.
Free Gas for Your Think Tank -- Short Reflections, Lasting Encouragement 