Can a Christian Heart Grow Cold?
by Shirley D. Tingle
To begin, here’s a silly poem for you, by yours truly.
How Cold Is It? Cold!
It’s as cold as your enemy’s vicious stare.
Or as cold as ice down your underwear!
It’s as cold as Pluto (if it were still a planet),
Or as cold as the iceberg that sank the Titanic!
It’s as cold as a January dead car engine,
Or as cold as a bowl of liquid nitrogen!
It’s as cold as the breeze on an Antarctic day,
Or as cold as your heart when you just walk away-
Now, that’s cold!
Cold. It’s a relative term. It depends on the level of “coldness” as to whether it will be refreshing or devastating. Who doesn’t enjoy an ice cream cone or popsicle, air-conditioning, iced tea, or building a snowman? Without some degree of coldness, these things would be impossible to enjoy. But several feet of snow covering the roads, parked cars, and houses; icy, biting winds; losing power in the winter; or getting lost in a snowstorm may cause one to dislike the cruelties brought on by the cold.
Scientifically speaking, it’s not cold at all. It’s the “absence of heat,” just as “dark is the absence of light.” Whatever it is, we all know what it feels like. Some people can tolerate being cold better than others. And people have adapted themselves to colder climates. I prefer to stay right here in the milder climate of Georgia as opposed to trying to keep myself warm in, let’s say, the Yukon.
Cold is a word that is not only used to describe a “sensation” but also is used to describe a “way of thinking.” We have many expressions in our language that use the word cold in interesting ways. Here are a few:
“A cold fish: Someone who is reserved or doesn’t want to be friendly.
Stone cold: Someone who is unfeeling.
Blood runs cold and Break out in a cold sweat: Someone who is frightened.
Cold cash: Actual money.
Cold feet: Someone who is afraid of doing something.
Cold shoulder: Someone who deliberately ignores another or severely curtails interaction with them.
Cold turkey: Someone who just ends a habit.
Come in from the cold: Someone who returns to safety or shelter.
In cold blood: Someone who murders without feeling.
Out cold: Someone who is unconscious.
Pour cold water on: Someone who tries to dampen enthusiasm.”
I borrowed these and also the quotes about “absence of heat and dark is the absence of light from: [delawareonline.com, “There is no cold, Only absence of heat,” by Betsy Price].
One place that really needs to be protected from becoming cold is the human heart, (or mind). Can a Christian heart grow cold? If so, how? What kinds of things take place in someone’s life that result in a heart growing cold? And what’s needed to rekindle the glowing embers of the heart to restore it back to the warmth of love and a life devoted to living as a faithful Christian, who’s willing to help others find salvation?
Things don’t always go as we plan, hope, or expect in life. Life has many ups and downs. We gain and we lose along life’s road. People who are dear to us get illnesses and pass away. Jobs are lost. Friends move and we lose touch with them. Pets die, things break, houses flood, burn, or get blown away. We develop illnesses and we grow old. We listen to the news too much and it all sounds unbelievably bad. We let despair, mistrust, fear, anger, and a host of other emotions drag us into a pit of gloom, where it’s cold and dark. The coldness filters into the heart and we feel like there’s no way to fix it. And we may forget that there are others going through life’s tough experiences too. Do we also forget that there are lost souls that need to be saved? Can life and its “bumps in the road” make us uncaring, unsympathetic, indifferent, and unresponsive to the conditions, feelings, and needs of others? Can a Christian heart grow cold? Sometimes it can.
Here’s a global statement: Everyone has problems. Christians are no exception. There’s no scripture that says that when we become a Christian all of life’s problems will disappear. But there are many scriptures that let us know with “blessed assurance,” that we’re not traveling life’s road alone. The more troubles we face, the more we need God’s help and comfort. He talks to us through His Word, the Bible. If we read and meditate on His Word each day, our hearts can absorb His love, so that any coldness should be driven away and replaced by the warmth of our loving God. He made it possible for us to be saved through His Son, Jesus Christ, and we have a mission to tell others about Jesus, so that they too may be saved. We also have our brothers and sisters in Christ to help us bear our burdens—to share good times, and to be there for us during the bad times of life.
So, how does someone warm up a heart that’s grown cold? By being reminded that this life with all of its troubles and trials is for a little while, and that faithful Christians have something awaiting them, of such monumental proportions, that just thinking about it should bring a smile to their faces and warm their hearts. And that something is Heaven! Reading the following scriptures can help to push the coldness right out of a heart that’s grown cold and bring back an attitude of hope, joy, and peace. Here are a few (all are KJV):
Matthew 11:28-29: “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.”
Matthew 6:33: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
I Peter 1:3: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
Matthew 28:18-20. “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”
Romans 5:8-11: “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received atonement.”
John 14:1-6: “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh to the Father, but by me.”
Here are a few more scriptures to help “warm your heart:”
Psalm 23:4 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 Romans 8:26-28 Matthew 5:4 Psalm 147:3
[These scripture references were borrowed from: Godtube.com, “20 Comforting Bible Verses to Warm Your Heart”].
And here are some “heavenly” scriptures to add to your scripture reading:
1 Corinthians 2:9 Hebrews 11:16 Hebrews 13:14 2 Corinthians 5:1 Philippians 3:20-21 1 Peter 1:4
[These scripture references were borrowed from: openbible.info, “100 Bible Verses about Heaven”].
There are so many other scriptures for us to read. And reading more scriptures can only be good for us—it’s spiritual food. Just like our bodies need food every day to survive, we also need to feed our spirits with spiritual food—God’s Word. The calories in our food serve us with units of energy to “warm” us up, nourish us, and give our bodies strength, keeping them in good condition. God’s Word, as our spiritual food, can help to give us strength and “warm up” hearts that have grown cold.
So, bundle up if the weather’s cold outside. And always keep God, faith, love, joy, hope, and peace in your heart so that it never grows cold.