Having a soft heart. And a tough skin.

I’ve always had a really ‘tough’ time having a tough skin. I’ve always worn my heart on my sleeve. I’ve always gotten hurt really easily.

As a side note to his sermon on Sunday, Pastor Jon mentioned a quote by Charles Swindoll. My hastily written paraphrase follows: Others cannot do to us other than what we allow. If you don’t have a tough skin, you’ll have a hard heart. If you do have a hard skin, you’ll have a soft heart.

Wow. That really hit home. I’ve found myself in so many situations over the years where my thin skin has caused my heart to harden toward the people who have hurt me. The thing is, if I had a tougher skin, I’m sure I wouldn’t have been hurt and I'd have a softer heart . . .

I guess this is my wake-up call. Some people work on strengthening their muscles; I’m going to work on strengthening my skin.

How tough is your skin? How soft is your heart?