Non Complaint Soul
The more I read the Bible, the more I notice the repetition. I remember reading about Pharaoh, who was described as having a hardened heart and ears that wouldn’t listen. King Saul was described the same way. In the book of Isaiah, it is repeated again, and we even see it in the New Testament when Jesus speaks in parables. I always wondered: why would God harden their hearts? Isn’t He supposedly loving?
I learned the reasoning behind this through pediatrics. We are often described as the children of God. One thing about children is that they don’t always listen; they love to test boundaries and often do the exact opposite of what you tell them. Well, let’s pause—because that is exactly me! God tells me something, I think I know better, and then—boom—it turns out God was right. It’s just like a child being told 84,402 times that the stove is hot. Eventually, the parent steps back, the child touches the stove, and they get burned. They finally learn their lesson and run back to the parent for comfort. This is how I see God’s reasoning for "hardening" hearts. In nursing, we have a saying: "If you don’t use it, you lose it." While that usually refers to physical health, I see it here too. If we don’t use our biggest source of strength—God—and instead rely on ourselves, God eventually steps back. If you won't listen, He lets you take the lead, and natural consequences follow. When we don't utilize our greatest resource, we lose the ability to see and hear God’s closeness. Just as the child runs to their parents after they are burned, we have to do the same.
God is well aware of our human nature; He knows we are sinful and flawed. But that isn’t the point. When Jesus explained why He taught in parables, He showed that there are two types of people: those who are teachable and those who are not. In nursing, we wear many hats, and one of them is being an educator—teaching patients the importance of health prevention. However, people can be stubborn. It doesn’t matter if you lay all the resources and answers in front of them; if they aren’t willing to say, "I don’t know, and I need help," then that’s it. In order for a patient to listen to the teachings, they have to be willing to be taught. Jesus explained this exact thing regarding His use of stories. Those who listen only on the surface see a cute, simple story and go about their day. However, the disciples would ask Jesus what He meant—and that is the point. We will never have all the answers. In fact, that lack of knowledge is exactly what makes us teachable. We need God to educate us.
Change happens through education and small, purposeful, consistent shifts. God knows you don’t have it all together—and that you never will—and that’s okay. But if we are prideful and believe that we are the sole source of our own strength, God allows us, through free will, to touch the stove. To change this, we have to go to Him and say, "I don't know what I'm doing, I don't know everything, and You said that's okay. So teach me." Jesus didn't judge by appearances; He looked at the heart. He doesn't want your perfection—He just wants you!