How to Have a Beautiful Heart

One of my favorite stories is about a beautiful heart.  I don’t know who wrote it, what the name of it is, or where to find it.  I know the details of the story well enough though and I’ve pieced them together to create a version to share with you.  It will teach you how to have a beautiful heart.

There was a small village, the kind where everyone knows everyone by name.  A young man, we’ll call him Guy was filled with pride and ego.  He had a remarkable heart, in perfect condition.  He looked at his heart all the time, always polishing and fussing with it to keep it in mint condition.

One day, Guy was riding his bicycle into town.  He was in a hurry as always, but an old man was slowly peddling down the path directly in front of him.  We’ll call this old man, Old Man.

Guy flew into a rage.  “How dare Old Man make me wait?” He exclaimed to whomever it is that one talks to when no one else is around.

Guy foolishly tried to squeeze onto the side of the path fly pass Old Man.  There wasn’t enough room and Guy side swiped Old Man knocking him off his bike.  The bike flew off the path, down a hilly ravine and was destroyed.

Guy knew it was his fault, although he really didn’t want to own up to it.  So instead he said, “Okay Old Man, let’s have a contest.  If you win, I’ll buy a new bike to replace that one.  It was just a piece of junk anyway.”

The Old Man said he would do it if the town’s people would be the judges.  Guy, thinking he had it made, agreed and said the contest would be to see who had the most beautiful heart.

Later in the day, with all the towns people gathered, Guy and the Old Man brought their hearts into the arena and the “Most Beautiful Heart” contest began.

Guy presented his heart.  It was pristine, not a scratch or dent on it. It was shiny and looked as if it had never been touched, because it hadn’t.  He was sure he would win.  He proudly made sure everyone had a thorough look at his heart.

The Old Man presented his heart next.  His heart had holes and chunks torn out of it, some of the holes were filled with pieces of other people’s hearts.  It looked like it had been around the block more than a few times, scarred and worn from years of use.

The town’s people were all very familiar with Old Man’s heart, so they didn’t take too long to look.

The town’s people didn’t take any time at all.  They decided the Old Man has the most beautiful heart, by a landslide.  Guy angrily asked them to explain.

The Old Man won because he used his heart.  The chunks torn out of it was love given and lost, the filled in pieces were other people’s love that he had accepted. The scars and worn out appearance proved that the old man’s heart was used for what it was supposed to be used for.

Learning of the old man’s heart changed Guy.  He bought the Old Man a bike as he promised and tore the first piece of his heart out and gave it to the Old Man to have one more piece to fill in his heart.

That my friends is how to have a beautiful heart.  Tear it apart and offer it to others, accept the parts of other people’s hearts when they offer it to you.

USE your heart.  It will be the most beautiful heart in the world!