The Open Heart

                In a recent interview writer Daniel Gottlieb used a quote from Victor Hugo:  “In darkness, the pupil dilates as though searching for light.  And in adversity, the heart dilates as though searching for God.”  This observation from Hugo’s great work, Les Miserables, provides a valuable suggestion for a person struggling with grief.  On its own the heart naturally opens itself to help.  It searches for assurance, understanding, and compassion.  And the heart that is open to persons and to the discovery of spiritual truth will move toward healing.

                Keeping the heart open is the problem for many persons.  Fatigue, anxiety, and fear take root in our lives and close our hearts.  The closed heart then tries to heal on its own.  A person who is not able to receive help from the outside comes to depend on his own limited resources.  What promises to be comforting restricts life, and the pain of grief becomes more rather than less intense.  Such a person might depend on “time” or some different set of circumstances to bring healing.  That rarely happens.

                The heart that is open in adversity is indeed on a search for God.  That openness allows God to reach us.  God reaches us through worship, through prayer and meditation, and through the caring of other persons.  As difficult as it is to maintain relationships and pursue meaningful activities during the raw hurt of grief, keeping the heart open is the best means of finding comfort and peace.

Dr. J. William Harris

January 2009