“Soft Hearts, Changed Lives: Breaking Habits and Traditions Through Christ”

Have you ever caught yourself repeating a cycle you promised you’d break? Maybe it’s a habit, a temper, a grudge, or even just a way of thinking that was created due to something or someone hurting you or maybe it’s been passed down for generations.

What keeps us stuck? Often, it’s not ignorance. It’s not even weakness. It’s the hardness of our hearts. We protect ourselves to the point that it becomes hard for our hearts to soften because of past hurt. But by doing this, we prevent ourselves from healing, from growing, from truly connecting with others—and with God.

A hardened heart may shield us from pain, but it also blocks out peace. It can keep us from forgiveness, from love, and from the transformation the Lord wants to work within us. In Ezekiel 36:26, God promises, "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh."

Softening our hearts doesn't mean becoming vulnerable to more hurt it means becoming open to more healing. It means trusting that God can take the broken pieces and create something better than what we had before. It’s through a soft heart that change begins within us, and around us.

“Soft Hearts, Changed Lives: Breaking Habits and Traditions Through Christ”

So often our lives are determined by what we choose to do after mistakes, after failure, and after sin… Soft hearts are hearts that can be forgiven, healed, and transformed.”

The Danger of Hardened Traditions

Sometimes, we cling to traditions or habits that no longer serve our growth or reflect God’s will. As President Dieter F. Uchtdorf once said:

“We are not walking the path of discipleship to prolong traditions, but to come closer to Christ.”

Cultural habits, inherited beliefs, and even family norms can become stumbling blocks if we don’t allow the Spirit to soften our hearts and point us to better ways.

Motivational speaker Brendon Burchard put it this way:

“No change in circumstances can change your heart unless you are first willing to change it yourself.”

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Scriptural Promises

The Lord tells us exactly what He will do with a soft heart:

“A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart… and I will give you an heart of flesh.”
(Ezekiel 36:26)

This is more than poetic language. It is a divine surgery God offers not just forgiveness, but transformation.

Turning to the Lord

The original image beautifully reminds us:

“So humbly turn to the Lord today, including in those hard moments when your pride tells you to rationalize or run.”

That moment when you justify your anger, avoid an apology, or retreat from a calling—that’s the very moment to soften your heart and let Christ in.

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Final Invitation

Ask yourself:

• What tradition or habit in my life is rooted in pride, not purpose?

• What would a soft-hearted version of me do differently?

• When was the last time I allowed Christ to truly change me?

Let today be the day you don’t run. Let it be the day you respond with softness, humility, and faith. Because a soft heart isn’t a weak heart—it’s the strongest, most Christlike heart of all.