Certain things stand out to me when I read the news. Lately, it’s been the callous words that journalists use when they write about abortion. It’s not their fault, they’re just putting to words the cultural mood. When I stop to consider the seriousness of the topic, it’s incredible that we’ve allowed our language to become so cold when discussing the dignity of the human person.

It reminds me of the prophet Ezekiel when he asks God to take away his stony heart and to give him one of flesh. This is a common trope in Christianity, a part of the process of lifelong conversion. We recognize that our selfish human desires lead us far from God and His plan. We turn in on ourselves instead of focusing our energies on serving those around us and picking up our crosses.

The hardness of our hearts doesn’t just reflect an indifference towards things that are wrong in the world. It represents a missed opportunity. God has prepared great plans for us. They’re not our plans, and they may not fit our idea of a good life, but they fit within a beautiful vision. When we reject God’s plan for us, we accept a lesser existence, a life with opportunities for joy and fulfillment left unrealized. We seek comfort, God seeks adventure.

The Christian life is one of paradox. The things that we think will make us happy never do. The things that cause us to think of and serve others, that make us uncomfortable, the things that God has laid out for us, leads to joy. Look at the lives of the saints and martyrs who gave up everything for Christ. Their stories are not of morose people, but are stories of joyful people.

We’ve let ourselves become numb to life, and to the little affronts to the dignity of the human person around us. We don’t speak out or take positive action because inertia and comfort are so much more convenient. We settle for stony hearts.

May God prepare my heart for the adventures that He has planned for me.