Devotional: Beyond the Callous

Beyond the Callous

Have you ever given much thought to a callous? I dare say most humans have at least one on their hand. As children in school, we develop callouses where we hold our pen or pencil. Those who work with their hands develop callouses from regular use of their tools. Our feet can even develop a callous. But what is it?

The dictionary says a callous is a part of the skin which has been exposed to friction. In other words, pressure was placed on a certain area resulting in a bruise. Then in the same place, pressure and pain is applied repeatedly until the area becomes hard. Over time, the area becomes insensitive, past feeling, and hardened in order to protect itself from further pain.

But what if the callous is a person's heart?

The world is full of people who are insensitive, indifferent, hard, and past feeling. They have no respect for the sanctity of life. They laugh at the pain of others, scoffing at their anguish. They delight in obscenities and lust. They ridicule and slander anything wholesome or good. And ultimately, they mock God. "Having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness" (Ephesians 4:18-19). These are those with calloused hearts.

The world disappointed and abused them, causing pain and anguish. Then repeatedly, from one thing to another, one bad relationship after another, their heart was trampled. Over and over, in the same spot, they endured the pain of rejection, suffering, exploitation, harm, and put downs. With every pain, the once-innocent child born with a soft, trusting heart became hardened and insensitive (almost non-human except for the blood in their veins and the breath in their lungs). Their pain and affliction is obvious to everyone except them.
And behind every calloused heart is the work of Satan. His goal is to keep them for himself and rob them of a life with God, thus creating what scripture calls a fool: "A fool rages and is self-confident.. [and] has no delight in understanding, but in expressing his own heart" (Proverbs 14:16, 18:2). From the depths of their scarred heart spews venom; their rage being proof of their pain. And "To do evil is like a sport to a fool..." (Proverbs 10:23). Their amusement is in corruption and their pastime is mockery.

Yet despite these conditions, the fool should be the least envied and most pitied. "For a fool's mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul...[because] The fool has said in his heart, 'There is no God'" (Proverbs 18:7, Psalms 14:1). As offensive and repelling as they can be, they are lost. Their vulgar fighting, opposing, and rejection of anything pure is in reality a cry for help. Yet because they are past feeling, it is almost impossible to win their trust, much less their heart.

I have encountered a few of these calloused souls. They despise Christians, and therefore find sport in challenging the Bible and degrading the faith of those who adhere to it. And every time a Christian turns their back and closes the door, they spew, "I told you so." But what they are really saying is "Why won't someone help me and prove me wrong!!?" They would never admit that of course. Scripture says, "Rebuke is more effective for a wise man than a hundred blows on a fool" (Proverbs 17:10). This is because their calloused hearts can take a hundred blows and still feel nothing.

So with this understanding, I asked the Lord if the fool can be saved. He reminded me of Saul of Tarsus - the man who was once so insensitive he could watch another be stoned and not flinch. This same man "...shamefully treated and laid waste the church continuously [with cruelty and violence]; and entering house after house, he dragged out men and women and committed them to prison" (Acts 8:3). He continuously uttered threats with every breath and was eager to destroy Christians. This Saul of Tarsus had a calloused heart, yet he was not beyond salvation.

What reached him? How were the hard layers of his insensitive heart penetrated? In his own words, speaking from experience, he told the Philippians, "Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation!" (Philippians 3:2). Saul, who was renamed Paul after his conversion, knew first-hand the venom a calloused heart could spew.

But he is also the same who said, "Even though I used to blaspheme the name of Christ. In my insolence, I persecuted his people. But God had mercy on me because I did it in ignorance and unbelief. Oh, how generous and gracious our Lord was! He filled me with the faith and love that come from Christ Jesus. This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—and I am the worst of them all. But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life" (1 Timothy 1:13-16, New Living Translation).
So what reached him? He said it was simple revelation of Jesus Christ (Galatians 1:12-13). Jesus reached him when no one else could. So although I realize we often don't know how to respond to - much less help - calloused, insensitive, mockers of God, I am encouraged to look through their pain and maliciousness. Somewhere deep inside is a potential Paul. May God reach them all and if possible... use me.