BEWARE OF HARDENED HEARTS!

“The Jewish leaders were increasingly blinded by fear and prejudice, while their hearts were hardened by the continued rejection of the appealing truths of the gospel of the kingdom. When men shut off the appeal to the spirit that dwells within them, there is little that can be done to modify their attitude.” [UB, Paper 149, Section 3].

Thought Adjuster: “Upon reading the above passage concerning the life of Jesus, it struck you that, if you edited out the word ‘Jewish’ and conjugated that sentence in the present tense, you would find yourself in familiar territory, as such unyielding behaviors are still strongly exhibited by many so-called ‘leaders’ of your days—especially in the political and mass media arenas.

“Beware of hardened hearts! They are dangerous, both to the object of their hateful attention and to their owners. Again, ‘as above, so below’. Whenever your arteries are hardened by poor nutrition, there ensues the risk that blood clots may form and trigger life-threatening strokes.

“What is the condition of your emotional cardio-vascular system? What is its pressure? Don’t you deem it important to monitor your emotional vital signs? If you allow your hearts to be hardened, you are heading in the wrong direction, as you are ignoring the health warnings of your inner Guide. You are rudely shutting Him off, which is highly detrimental to you and others, as you are then behaving as a ‘defector’, running away from the leadings of Truth and stubbornly covering your ears to shut out ‘inconvenient’ truths—the ones that contradict your crystalized worldviews. Not only are you deaf to the truth but you are also ‘blinded by fear and prejudice’—quite a recipe for disaster!

“2000 years ago, your Master Jesus demonstrated how to live ‘in sync’ with Spirit. He became the valiant opponent of fears and prejudices. He saw things as they were—not as He wished for them to be. He constantly communed with His ‘inner Sounding Board’—His impartial Indwelling Guide. By so doing, He demonstrated the much-needed humility that is a prerequisite for the ability to change one’s mind and one’s heart. Isn’t it by far preferable to the stuck-up behaviors exhibited by the self-proclaimed ‘know-it-all’ or ‘know-it-better’?

“Do not let your emotional arteries harden! Preserve their elasticity by allowing the ‘corrective adjustments’ of Truth to soften them. This is how your world will be transformed into a much better place. Select as leaders those among you who are qualified to be such by their open minds and open hearts. Only they can lead you to that promised land, a place that reflects all the facets of genuine altruism.”