A Crowded Heart

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When I was without Christ, my heart was lonely and empty. It was busy with frustration and fear, mind you, but it was lonely and empty.

When I became Christ’s disciple, He began a renovation project within me like I never expected. There was nothing left when He was finished. He even laid a new foundation; Himself.

So, in a way, my heart was still empty in the early stages of His work in me, but in a different way. Now my heart was also empty of the frustration and fear.

Over the years, Jesus has filled my heart. He has filled my heart with Him, with a deep sense of my helplessness without Him and dependence upon Him, with wonder for everything about Him.

I have worked with a Christ-centered recovery house for men for some years now. Yesterday, I was at a meeting where the establishment of the same type of recovery house for women was being discussed.

As we talked, I thought back as I regularly do on the many men who have come through the men’s house over the years. I thought back on how I remember them all. They, and the love that God gave me for them, have filled my heart.

Jesus has given me a crowded heart.

Jesus has given me a heart crowded with love and faces and shared experiences. No busyness of frustration our fear now lives there, though they seek to knock at times at the door of my heart. There is no room for them, though. Too crowded, you see.

So Jesus has given me a crowded heart, crowded with very special love and very special faces and very special shared experiences. Some of those faces have passed on now, Rick, Eric, Steve. But my love for them and shared experiences with them and all the others who abide in my crowded heart will never change. There they will live with me in love for as long as He gives me breath.

Look, over there, you’ll see.......

There's Alex, Bo, Tom, Bill, James, Larry, another Tom, Bruce, Steve, another Larry, Mike, and Doug. Over there, there's Danny, Keith, another Bill, another Keith, Ken, another Alex, and Glen. Oh, and see over there? That's Ron, another Mike, Jim, another Steve, Bud, another Doug, Chris, another Ron, Phil, Ray, another Phil, Tim, Johnny, Eric, another Steve, Rick.......so many more.......

I love you guys. So much.

Jesus, You have given me a heart full of You and others and my love for You and them. You have given me a heart filled with Your love and their love for me.

Thank You for giving me a crowded heart.



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