August 23, 2026 - INSCRIPTIONS FROM THE HEART

Abby Zamora-Cheng

Have you ever been hurt by someone you thought was a friend to the point where your friendship actually ended? It wasn’t just a little tiff where the two of you apologized to each other after some time and moved on, but the offense was enough that one or both of you decided never to speak to the other again. This happened to me recently with someone I wasn’t terribly close with but did have years of history with. I was so hurt by what this person said and did that for weeks after I couldn’t stop thinking about confronting them and harshly letting them know how I lost all respect for them. I’m not proud to say it, but these thoughts consumed me for a while, to the point where I even dragged others into the drama with me so we could badmouth this person together.

The sermon today talks about guarding our heart because everything we do flows from it. In the situation I had with this friend, I definitely did NOT guard my heart against unforgiveness, bitterness, slander, all the ways that Satan loves to see people react when they are hurt by others. By continually recounting what this person did in my mind and to others, I built up hatred towards them in my heart and thus sinned against God. Praise God for His mercy towards me, because He convicted me and reminded me about how Jesus faced much worse insults than I and yet He still chose to forgive and even die on the cross for all those who physically, verbally, and emotionally wounded him. With God’s help, I can guard my heart from building up resentment towards this person by remembering Jesus’s love for them and His unending grace towards me. When I’m tempted to think about the offense done to me yet again, I can control my thoughts and pray for that person instead. May God help me and all of us facing situations like this to guard our hearts so we can overflow with life and love for all those around us, to the glory and praise of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.