Calluses And Scars

Two ways that our skin can become hardened are through calluses or scars. A callus is a hardened section of skin and is formed to help protect us from getting hurt due to repeated pressure and friction. A scar happens when there is a wound and the body needs to heal itself. Scar tissue is made of the same kind of cells that it is repairing, but is arranged in a less flexible pattern. Both calluses and scars make the skin harder and less flexible and weaker even though they are formed to help protect or heal us. Our hearts can become hardened and weakened as they form calluses and scars. Our hearts get exposed to the pressures of life. They are wounded easily and often, and forming calluses and scars is the best we can do to survive. We can't help but have our hearts become hardened in response to the trials we face. But the Savior doesn't want us to keep our hearts that way. He asks us to give up our callused, scared, hardened heart when we repent, and He will give us a brand new, non-callused, non-scarred, perfectly soft heart. That heart is going to get calluses rubbed into it and scarred every which way too as we go out and face life again, but that's ok because when the new Heart Christ gave us becomes hard, we just sacrifice that one to Him as well and He'll give us another brand new heart. Every time our heart gets broken or bruised or callused or scarred or hardened, we can immediately turn to the Lord and get a replacement heart. The Lord won't stop us from experiencing all that life has in store for us and He won't stop us from getting wounded when it is important that we learn bitter lessons, but He always will take away our scars when we turn to Him.