Open Your Heart Again

Words to Consider

Do what you will with another person;
But never put them out of your heart.
--The Dalai Lama

Open Your Heart Again

One of the most moving examples of the opening of a hardened heart is the story of Scrooge in Dickens' A Christmas Carol. At an early age, Scrooge concluded that the world was a hard and cruel place. Making the accumulation of money his primary goal, he closed himself off from his fellow human beings. Although he attained worldly riches, he was spiritually desolate.

Then, on Christmas Eve, he was graced with the opportunity to make a new choice - to open his heart to life. His physical wealth began to have a purpose. After his conversion, he paid for the operation that healed Tiny Tim and contributed to numerous charities throughout London.

I tell this story because there is a Scrooge in every one of us. In some area of life, you and I have hardened our hearts. Perhaps it is a former lover whom we have not forgiven; or we are angry at a political group that opposes our point of view; or an early wound has left a trail of hurt and cynicism.

Whatever the person or circumstance, the solution is the same - open your heart again. If the old pain comes to the surface, relax and breathe into the hurt. As your heart softens and expands, a deep compassion will fill your being. Like Scrooge, you are being reborn to a new life. You are being redeemed by the healing power of love.

Some say I open my heart too much. I do get hurt often. But I don't want to change. Some day I hope it will pay off and in so many ways it already has.

Sincere love is not born of possessiveness but of necessary space and distance.
--Melanie Gainsley

Dimestore romance novels and the passion frequently portrayed in movies invite us to mimic behavior that's seldom in our best interests. Focusing attention too narrowly on another person stifles our personal growth, without which we die, as does the relationship, in time.

Real love means we will celebrate one another's avenue to fulfillment, feeling joy when our paths are parallel, trusting the growth process when our directions seem at cross-purposes. We'll know that, whatever our destination, we'll each be in the right place at the right time truly free to love one another - not forced because we've been trapped in a binding relationship mistakenly defined as love.

But where are our role models for healthy love? Few of us have been privy to them. And yet, we can discover responsible, loving behavior for ourselves if we'll risk honesty about our personal goals, our fears, our dreams, and allow our loved ones the same honest openness.

Desert Cat wrote:

I can't tell you how much I want this in my life again. I had it for about the first year of my marriage. Haven't seen much of it in 32 years...

I know what you mean dear Marla!

We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.
--Winston Churchill

As we grow spiritually, we naturally become more generous. It's a quality of a well-developed person. Rather than being anxious over whether we will have enough -- and rather than hungrily seeking more and more -- we become more openhearted. We feel more abundant within ourselves and find that our spirit of generosity even adds to our own abundant feelings. Where we see a need, we help out.

A generous person doesn't need to shower others with material gifts. The most precious gifts are things such as paying attention to others, respecting them for who they are, and giving our time. Often a material gift is a symbol of the good feelings in a relationship. In our generosity, we also learn to receive others' gifts to us with humility and respect.|

Today I take pleasure in my spirit of generosity.