Heart in a Box
He had a heart once; it was gentle and caring
It was tucked away safe, spotless at birth.
It had no regrets, it bore no mistakes
As this child came into the world.
He thought all was well, that things were just fine
With every new day, he awoke to the sun;
Growing and learning, loving and hurting
Playful and small, just having his fun.
Laughter and smiles, then a violent rage?
Peace would not hold for a moment.
Hitting and screaming, no smiles or singing
He tried to shut out all the noise.
Then one day they hit him and everything changed
He found the hurt too much to bear.
So he cut out his heart and locked it away
He didn’t know which way to turn.
He numbed to it all, till he thought things were better
As he grew up one day at a time.
Then all of the sudden he met a young woman
She still had a heart he was sure.
It wasn’t that long till they walked down the aisle
Yet he clung to her heart, not his own
She tried every day to raise the new baby
But still he trudged on quite alone.
As children got older, he gave them cold shoulder
Before long, they wished he would go.
Screaming and shouting, retreating and crying
Fighting the pain that he’d always known.
Days, weeks and years, they prayed hope for a change
The anger and strife just got worse.
“God! Be the difference and heal all the wounds!”
Still man’s heart was under some curse.
We can learn from this story of the man and his heart -
The heart that he tried to dispose.
But it lies with the Savior, He could change the behavior
Until he find Jesus – the prison chains hold.
We pray for salvation, with no condemnation
Holding steady and true to God’s Word
Believing for life and a newness of sight
While it lies locked away – a heart in a box.
© Mandee Widrick, 2009
