“For God maketh my heart soft …” (Job 23:16)
There are certain experiences in life that God uses to make our heart soft. God would use the hardest situations we face to take the hard edges off of us. He would make us so much more compassionate toward those who are hurting. He would make us far less opinionated and judgmental. He would help us to walk and talk with much more care and prayer. Though we leave the experience with a “limp,” it is a good limp. (Gen. 32:31)
No doubt, Job’s friends thought they were doing him a favor by giving him the cold, hard “truth.” But they not only lacked truth, they failed to show empathy. Can there be any doubt that Job’s experience made him more tender-hearted and compassionate.
Each one of our hearts need softening. God uses painful trials to help us “feel better.”
“Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better.” (Ecclesiastes 7:3)