What Is Hard Heartedness

Some of us grew up in religious traditions that threw around the phrase ‘hard hearted’ as a poisoned arrow. It was variously used to describe those who didn’t have enough faith to be healed, those who were disobedient to what their pastors/religious authorities taught, or those who had attributes outside of cultural norms (e.g., being gay). But maybe it’s a little different than what we were told.

Initially, if you try reading all of Hebrews 3, it can sound like a rant. The author seemingly ‘goes off’ on those with sinful, unbelieving hearts (vs. 12) who are hardened by sin’s deceitfulness (vs. 13) and those who are condemned because of their unbelief (vs. 19).

But as you unpack those verses and think through what they meant in context, it might look a little differently. Unbelief really comes down to not trusting God’s goodness, which inevitably leads to us being self-focused and self-protective - isn’t that what sin is? And all this messy stuff originally comes from not being able to open up and be vulnerable. Ultimately, we’re invited to stay in a place of creative tension because the world will try to wreck you with all its tragedy and oppression and it’s difficult to find God in it sometimes so we can’t deny that while we’re still holding out hope! And that’s what soft-heartedness is - staying open even when we want to be closed off.

The goal here isn’t to soft-pedal the truth but to actually understand what it means today in a way that honors scripture and helps us grow into the image of God. Are there ways you’ve labeled yourself or others ‘hard-hearted’ that might need to be redefined? Can you sense the Spirit inviting you into being open, to holding tension, and to trusting in God’s goodness?