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"Once conform, once do what other people do because they do it, and a lethargy steals over the finer nerves and faculties of the soul. She becomes all outer show and inward emptiness, dull, callous, and indifferent." - Virginia Woolf -Author
A CALLOUS is a thickened and hardened part of the skin or soft tissue, especially in an area that has been subject to friction. In Spring, some form callouses on their hands with yard work. As Summer approaches, many will get pedicures to cure the callouses on their feet on their way to the beach. A callous is the bony healing tissue which forms around the ends of a broken bone, or a hard formation of tissue, especially new tissue over a wound. Figuratively, CALLOUS means showing or having an insensitive and cruel disregard for others. Where you see a callous on or in a person...there's been some kind of friction or a wound. They've developed a hardened exterior in order to protect the wounded interior. There are a lot of calloused-hard skinned folks. Callouses are supposed to lead to healing.
CALLOUSED doesn't necessarily indicate that a person is mean and surly. You can be nice and jovial...yet still be calloused, insensitive and broken inside. The disciples asked Jesus why He spoke to the crowd in parables. "He replied, "The knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven has been given to you and not to them...This is why I speak to them in parables, 'Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand...For this people's heart has grown callous; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them." (Matthew 13: 11,13,15) Too often, we fail to look beneath the surface of what seems to be a cruel disregard for others or an inability to empathize with situations. We see the callous exterior, but we don't discern the wound that caused it, or the need for healing.
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In Acts 28, Paul was in Rome invoking his citizenship there because of accusations from the Jews in Jerusalem who wanted to put him to death for his beliefs. He didn't chide them for the callousness, but appealed to the Jews gathered in Rome, "23So they set a day to meet with Paul, and many people came to the place he was staying. He expounded to them from morning to evening, testifying about the kingdom of God and persuading them about Jesus from the Law of Moses and the Prophets. 24Some of them were convinced by what he said, but others refused to believe." Paul invoked the same reference from Isaiah that Jesus did above, 27 "For this people's heart has grown callous they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and I would heal them."
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From Isaiah, through Jesus, to Paul...we see God's love and passion reaching out over the generations to those whose wounded hearts have become callous toward Him. Sometimes a person with a callous cannot or will not respond to your love or even to God's. But love will find a safe place to land. Even our salvation requires a warm reception, "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the power to become the sons of God, even to them who believe on His name." (John 1:12) So Paul, like Christ, embraced those whose hearts would soften and left the Jews in Rome who would not believe with this statement, 28 Be advised, therefore that God's salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!"
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