At the beginning of the story, Heidi’s grandfather is a reclusive and ill-tempered old man. He even refuses to take in his own granddaughter when she is sent to live with him.

His withdrawal and bitterness, I believe, stem in part from deep emotional wounds. Heidi is an orphan, which means her grandfather has suffered the heartbreaking loss of his own child. On top of that, he has long been the target of the villagers’ judgment and malicious gossip. Over time, this drove him to shut himself off from the world.

Heidi, too, has experienced lots of miseries. Orphaned at a young age, she was seen as a burden by the aunt who took her in, and then rejected by the grandfather who should have offered her shelter. She had every reason to become bitter and withdrawn—yet she remained free-spirited and full of love.

I just think, in the face of pain, we still have the freedom to choose how we respond: to become hardened, or to keep loving.

A hug from Heidi began to crack the walls around her grandfather’s heart. That moment marked the beginning of his transformation, as he slowly opened up and came to wholeheartedly love his granddaughter. While isolation may shield us from certain wounds, true healing comes only through loving and being loved.

Paul asked us not to be overcome by evil, but to overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21). By God’s grace, we can choose to love even from a wounded heart—and that love, in turn, brings true healing to our hearts.