hear the inner voice of love..............

I once saw a stonecutter remove great pieces from a huge rock on which he was working.  In my imagination I thought, That rock must be hurting terribly.  Why does this man wound the rock so much?  But as I looked longer, I saw the figure of a graceful dancer emerge gradually from the stone.
      I have spent a good deal of my life building a stone wall of protection around my heart.  Now, when I actually hear the truth about my hardness of heart, it seems as though one of the stones is being taken out of my protective wall.  This wounds me and makes me frightened and angry.  It's a big struggle.  But I'm trying to be more aware and less fearful in the process.  "Don't be so afraid," I hear the inner voice of love say to me.  "Recognize everything in your life as a gift, and consciously give thanks.  Make more room for joy in your life.  Let the stones be taken away, and be grateful.  Go beyond your comfort zone, and trust.  Have courage, open yourself to your heart's deeper desires, and let the wall fall down.  Open yourself , and allow me to remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh."

-Henri Nouwen,  Spiritual Formation:  Following the Movements of The Spirit