Hearts

Hearts are

Symbols.  Blood pumping organs.

4 chambers, blood, veins, arteries, muscle...

 They can be:
 broken, hardened, softened, won, beating, bleeding, giving, warm, cold, shallow, guarded, stolen.

I'm sure a heart can be even more.

We live in a world where to have a hard heart doesn't just mean you have artherosclerosis.

I've heard many times that having a hardened heart is a really bad thing.  I grew up hearing about how Pharoah hardened his heart against God etc.

But, what if having a hard heart isn't a bad thing?  What if it's a blessing, rather than a curse?

What if certain life experience makes it impossible for a person to be open or have a soft heart towards others anymore?

I would love to say that I don't fall into this category, but it would be a lie.  The problem is, I'm really good at faking caring about other people.

Yup, I am admitting something deep.  Hey, we all do it at times I'm sure.  People bring me problems all the time and I can say all the right things and such to try to make them feel better.  Or I appear to be listening to their issues, but the truth is over the past couple of years, I just don't care like I once did.  Don't get me wrong, there is a part of me that does care, but the stress and trauma of life has gradually made it harder for me to give a shit about anything.

Now, I'm super aware that this is a problem.  No, I'm not rebellious, angry, spiritually discontent, or a mean person.

The truth is, I'm just emotionally exhausted.  I'm too tired to care.

Some call this burnout.  I'm sure many of those close to me are aware of the way I've become, but I'm not good at being open.  But what if this is the key to survival?

So here's my question....(and these answers are going to be varied) how can a person protect their heart without going to the extreme of hardness?  IS such a thing even possible??