Our room was dark, lit only by the radiance of the full moon beaming in through our open window.

Cara and I were working on getting ready for bed after a full day on the mission field in Italy. She had already crawled under her covers when I noticed a movement out of the corner of my eye.

“A bat just flew into our room,” I exclaimed.

What followed was nothing short of a comedy sketch as we worked to locate the tiny mammal, chase him around the room, find something to safely scoop him into, and gently give him the heave-ho back into the Italian countryside.

We were leery about keeping our unscreened window wide open anymore after that but the intense heat of the July summer days made it impossible not to.

The cool night breeze in an non-air-conditioned room was a must.

The open window let in both – the breeze and the bat; a blessing and a challenge.

Much like our hearts as we journey through life.

It can be a temptation to close our hearts off from the challenging things that we encounter.

Fractured friendships, broken and raw family dynamics, and discouraging medical diagnoses can have us quickly contemplating barring up the window of our hearts forever.

But to do that would also be to shut out the opportunity for love, joy, and the space for belonging that we so desperately need.

Ultimately, we can’t open our hearts for one without the other and God, in His grace, demonstrates how to do this.

He opened His heart wide for us when He made a way for Jesus to take the penalty of our sin.

He keeps His heart open as He continually invites us to have a relationship with Him and become a part of His forever family.

His heart hurts when we choose not to receive His love and great gift of salvation.

He feels sad when we grieve His Holy Spirit and resist His sovereignty in our lives.

It stands to reason that we, who are made in God’s own image, would have to hold this tension in our hearts, too.

Romans 5:8 says, “But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (CSB)

I pray that today, if you’re tempted to close your heart, you would remember this verse. In the midst of blatant rejection by most that causes Him pain, God keeps His heart ever open to us.

May His example inspire us to keep showing up, keep loving well, and keep our hearts open.

Until next time, Grace and Glory!