How People Harden

Thinking a lot about what Paul says in Romans 9 - "I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy... He has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills..."

Lord, thinking about the idea of hardening... people normally think about this passage from a popular or lay perspective – this seems unfair! But it's different when you start from a pastoral perspective – it seems realistic.

Thinking about how many people we've seen over the years that manifest (seemingly) this hardening process... it's real. G. B. L. So many others of the years. And the question is, how do you explain that? Did somebody else do something wrong? (e.g. the church "failed") Did they do it to themselves?

Christianity insists: God is in control... he hardens / has mercy... but both of those things (hardening / mercy) actually align with what an individual's heart desires... they get what they want.

The mercy thing doesn't actually make sense apart from pastoral experience...

Lord, thinking about K in all this... would you please have mercy on her!