Coaching by Stillwater Blog

August Light

This is a beautiful August day.

There is something about the light that changes in August. I’ve never been able to put words to it, but as a youngster, I always remember getting a sinking feeling with August light. Summer was almost over and cold would be settling in. Year after year, I recall the sudden arrival of August light.

Summers were busy.

My friend, Greg and I would float on the boat for hours on end, soaking our toes in the warm water of Lake Kampeska.

Sometimes we’d take an occasional bike ride to Stony Point to trade in beer and pop bottles we found along the way. There were always enough to fund a game of pool and a candy bar or a bottle of Coke.

It was a relaxed busy. Summers always made it seem like everything was right.

August light told me that I’d better enjoy it while it lasted. It would soon be over. It was a sinking feeling whenever I noticed it, so it was hard to enjoy anything.

The thing that was looming was school; the bus ride to town, sitting in a desk, homework, dark winter evenings, cold and blowing snow. There wasn’t much that I enjoyed after school started in the fall. It was a time to get busy about the work of preparing for life.

Somewhere over the years of high school, college and work, I lost touch with August light.

But it’s back. Today is an August light day. I have to admit, I’ve been seeing August light since May this year. Something has changing. I’m noticing the end of Summer and the beginning of Autumn. It’s time to get about the work of life. It's time to get ready for what’s next.

© 2009 - Robert B. Cummins – Stillwater Consulting, Inc.

What does it mean to have a pure heart?

I remember as a kid going swimming in the lake by our home. Midsummer water was more than tolerable.

It was murky too.

Wading out to deep water could be tough on the feet.

I couldn’t see the bottom so,  I learned to shuffle along so as to feel the bottom with my feet. Sometimes, it was smooth and sandy and I felt really confident and moved faster, even though I couldn’t see where I was stepping. However, within inches I might step into mud or slip on a moss covered stone, stub my toe, or step on a sharp rock.

Murky water of the soul

There are times when the “water of my soul” is murky. I shuffle along; quite confident, thinking things are going well. Even though I should realize I can’t see clearly, my over confidence causes me to stumble or slip on unforeseen obstacles.

These are the times when I am so focused on work, or some silly distraction, that I don’t pay attention to how I am living my life or where I may be stepping.

“Give me a pure heart”

In a prayer written by Dag Hammarskjold, the former General Secretary of the United Nations, is the plea, “Give me a pure heart that I may see thee.”

 Purity is not the first thing I think of when I pray. Reflecting on the concept of what is visible in purity versus when things are cloudy makes me wonder why I don’t beg for purity as well.  

What is purity? Why desire purity?  

If water is pure, you can see the bottom. The water is clear, it is transparent and one fully knows what’s in the water as well as on the bottom of the lake. If the water is not pure, it is murky; all you see is the darkness of silt. To move along, you walk blindly. With prudence you would move slowly and carefully. The foolhardy, which we all can be, move too fast, stumble and get scraped up.

There are times when my heart is anything but pure. It is interesting how I stir up the mud all on my own.

I think I know what I want.

I think I know best

But I get confused and get off course.

Things that seem logical are phony rationalizations that trap. When I hope to step on smooth sand, I grind the sole of my foot on a sharp rock.

Asking for a pure heart may seem old fashioned. These are the days of “anything goes,” disposable relationships and self satisfaction. To seek a pure heart certainly seems like an leftover from days gone by.  

Why ask for a pure heart?

Why seek purity?

It sounds too much like self denial. It sounds like sacrifice, especially in a society that encourages narcissism. How many times have we heard, “if it feels good, it must be good,” or “if it doesn’t hurt someone else, why should it matter?”

Deep inside, we know what is good and pure and we know what is not. We have been infused with this knowledge.

·         Where is there filth in our lives?

·         Why is it easier to live with the dirt than to clean it up and stay clean?

·         How does the lack of purity show up in our lives?

·         Why make a choice for something good and pure rather than self indulgence?  What is the price? What is the reward?

It is time to look for patterns that have developed over time, patterns that lead us away from the purity and clarity we desire.

© Stillwater Consulting, Inc. 2009