Staying Tough & Tender

As we walk out our relationship with the Lord, it is necessary that we remain tough to persevere through the hard times when the difficulties of life come against us. However, we also must remain tender to freely give love & receive love. It is a fine line that we must walk & also a progressive growth as we mature.

As people are learning to walk this out, the young ones typically swing from one extreme to the other—either finding their identity completely in what people think or who tells them to do what—or becoming totally rebellious & blocking people out of their lives & hearts altogether.

Many times, those older have been burned so much that they shut their passion & emotions down, so that they do not feel. They do not take the risk of opening their heart anymore, because they do not want to feel the pain of rejection or the pain of watching someone walk away.

This is often seen in evangelism & discipleship, because people get tired of reaching out with their whole heart, then watching the people walk away from God. It is also seen in marriage & relationships. Also, this kind of thing can happen in people who reach out for healing or the supernatural.

The way we remain tough in perseverance, however, is not to wall off our heart, but to plumb-line our spirits with the Word of God where we believe it absolutely 100%--even when we do not see a manifestation of it at the present time. Also, we keep our heart & emotions tender by constantly dialoguing with the Lord over the Word, our emotions, & our present circumstances.

Looking at the life of Jesus, He was the most tough, persevering hero throughout history; yet he was also extremely tender, loving, & compassionate. Everything He did was full of passion. As we learn to walk out life in friendship with Jesus, we will continue to grow tough towards opposition, but tender & loving towards God’s people & the things that are on His heart.