“I’ve developed a callous.”

It was a simple comment in response to a social media post, which discussed other social media posts and how annoying the anger and stubbornness of social media can be. I understood the sentiment in the context of the comment, but it still raised concern.

It’s important to understand the context and attempt to determine what is happening when someone posts or speaks in person. There are some things we are wise to let go. We all have people who are so consistently blunt, angry, accusatory, or some other behavior, that we are desensitized to the brunt of frustration, irritation, or surprise.

But there are times we develop a callous that unhealthily makes us…calloused. It’s not comfortable or convenient to be sensitive to things, but sensitivity is important. In order to take in information and interactions with humility and respect, we need to be sensitive—not in a haphazard way but with intentional truth-seeking, compassion, accountability, truth-telling, and respect.

There is a difference between allowing our experiences to grow us in wisdom and allowing them to deepen our indifference. Each is callous-building but have a different intent. When we work hard and develop callouses that help us continue to move forward, it is like building wisdom—continuing to use what we’ve learned to help us grow and change. When we let hurts build walls and callous our hearts, we let bitterness and indifference become a callous that might seem comfortable in protection but cuts us off from some important lessons and interactions.

Take a callous check today. Look not only at your hands but your mind, heart, and soul.