Walk with Him: We are the Guardians of Our Hearts

One of the most common statements I remember my mom telling me as a teenager was, “Don’t give me that look.” Now, I’m not sure what that “look” actually was, but as I reflect back, I suspect it had something to do with my attitude. My face conveyed the feelings of my heart, and I must have been feeling quite disagreeable and stubborn, unwilling to meet her requests.

In Exodus 7-13, modern revelation changes multiple phrases, “I will harden Pharaoh’s heart” to “and Pharaoh will harden his heart” (Exodus 7:3). Repeatedly, Pharaoh chose to harden his heart and not let the children of Israel leave Egypt, even as God persisted in trying to convince him to soften his heart with plague after plague.

I don’t know if I still make that “look”, but I recognize when my heart is hard. I cling to my justification for being judgmental, unforgiving, resistant, prideful and worldly. It feels terrible. A hard heart moves me to a dark place where light and goodness is blocked, and with so much darkness around me, I don’t need more within me. It takes work to soften a hard heart. Letting go of anger, hurt and pride isn’t easy. But if I want peace of mind and an openness to the whispers of the Spirit, doing whatever it takes is worth it.

“The Korean translation of “hardness” in the Book of Mormon is 완악 (Wan-Aak: 頑惡). This phrase uses the Chinese character “Wan” (頑), meaning “stubborn,” and “Aak” (惡), meaning “wicked.” When we harden our hearts, we are blinded, and good things cannot come into our hearts or our minds. We become stubborn and begin to place more focus on worldly desires, closing our hearts to the things of God. We choose to focus solely on our own thoughts while not accepting the opinions and guidance of others. We choose to not open our hearts to the things of God but instead to the influence of the things of the world and the adversary. When our hearts are hardened, we resist the influence of the Holy Ghost. We are “slow to \remember the Lord,” and over time we become “past feeling” His words.” (Elder Christopher H. Kim, “Harden Not Your Heart”)
“I say again, the condition of our hearts directly affects our sensitivity to spiritual things. Let us make it a part of our everyday striving to open our hearts to the Spirit. Since we are the guardians of our hearts, we can choose to do so. We choose what we let in or hold out. Fortunately, the Lord is anxious to help us choose wisely.” (Elder Gerald N. Lund, “Opening Our Hearts”)