Unstoppable with a soft heart

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” — Galatians 5:22–23 (NIV)

Love. Joy. Peace. Kindness. Goodness. Gentleness. Self-control.

Those words sound wonderful when life is going well. They are beautiful when embroidered on pillows, printed on bookmarks, and highlighted in our Bibles. But what happens when life gives us a reason to be angry? What happens when fear replaces peace, grief threatens joy, and someone’s actions make kindness feel almost impossible?

I will never forget driving to work in Arizona on the morning of September 11, 2001. I was listening to the radio during my hour-long commute when the broadcast was interrupted with the shocking news that a plane had struck the World Trade Center in New York City. At first, like so many others, I struggled to comprehend what I was hearing. Then came the report that a second plane had struck the second tower.

Suddenly, this was no longer breaking news. It was personal.

My family was in New York, and my father had a doctor’s appointment that morning in the area where tragedy had struck. I began calling him. No answer. I tried my mother, my sister, and multiple friends. I couldn’t reach anyone. With each unanswered call, my fear intensified.

By the time I arrived at the school where I served as an assistant principal, I was completely shaken. I turned on the television in my office, and it quickly became evident that what had happened was no accident. The images were horrifying. I had left New York to pursue my doctorate at Arizona State University, and suddenly the miles separating me from the people I loved felt unbearable.

There was little time, however, to focus solely on my fear. Our students needed us. I spent much of that day alongside counselors helping frightened children, some of whom had relatives in New York and family members who worked in or near the towers.

Eventually, I reached my family and friends. My father was safe. He had finished his appointment and returned to his construction office in Brooklyn approximately forty-five minutes before tragedy struck. The relief I felt was enormous, but it existed alongside profound grief and anger over what had happened to thousands of other families.

Like many people, I felt my heart hardening toward those responsible. Yet my parents reminded me of the fruit of the Spirit. They also reminded me of a truth reflected in Isaiah 59:17: God Himself is described as wrapping Himself in a “cloak of zeal” in response to injustice. Vengeance and ultimate justice belong to God. We are not asked to pretend evil is good or to ignore danger. We are called to resist allowing evil to transform us into something God never intended us to become.

That lesson has remained with me.

1. Being Soft-Hearted Does Not Mean Being Naive

The fruit of the Spirit does not require us to ignore evil. We can recognize danger, establish boundaries, pursue justice, and exercise wisdom while refusing to surrender our hearts to hatred. Gentleness is not weakness. Self-control is not passivity. Sometimes the strongest thing we can do is refuse to allow another person’s evil to determine who we become.

2. Resilience Requires Guarding Your Heart

Trauma, betrayal, injustice, and disappointment can make hardness feel like protection. We tell ourselves, I will never let anyone hurt me again. But walls that keep pain out can also keep love, joy, peace, and kindness from flowing through us. Godly resilience is different. It allows us to become wiser without becoming colder. An unstoppable believer can bend without breaking, grieve without surrendering to despair, and remain compassionate without abandoning discernment.

3. Trust God to Settle the Score

One of the hardest acts of faith is letting go of our desire to personally settle every score. God sees what we cannot see. No injustice escapes His notice, and no human being ultimately hides from His judgment. Our responsibility is to remain faithful—to seek what is right, protect what needs protecting, speak truth, and allow God to handle what belongs to Him.

Over two decades after that terrible September morning, I still remember the fear of those unanswered phone calls. But I also remember what my parents taught me: Do not let what someone else has done harden the heart God has called you to keep tender.

Being unstoppable does not mean becoming unfeeling. Sometimes the greatest evidence of spiritual resilience is having every reason to become bitter—and choosing, through the power of the Holy Spirit, to remain wise, watchful, faithful, and soft-hearted.

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Prayer

Dear God, when fear, anger, grief, or injustice tempt me to harden my heart, remind me of the fruit You desire to produce within me. Give me wisdom without bitterness, courage without hatred, and strength without hardness. Help me trust You with the things I cannot control and the injustices I cannot resolve. Make me resilient enough to stand firm and faithful enough to remain tender. Amen.

Your Turn

Think about a time when hurt, fear, betrayal, or injustice tempted you to harden your heart. Did that experience make it more difficult for you to show love, kindness, gentleness, or self-control? Is there a situation you are still trying to “settle” in your own strength that you need to surrender to God? Which fruit of the Spirit do you most need Him to cultivate in you right now?

Ask God today to help you become strong without becoming hard, discerning without becoming cynical, and unstoppable without losing the tenderness of your heart.