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

Comments

[Terri]

Thoughtful post, Bob. Can you elaborate a bit on what prompted it?

Hope things are going surprisingly well in LoL-Land. :)

Thinking of you,
Terri

[Robert Cummins]

Thanks Terri.

The thoughts have been stirring for a long time. Actually, the draft has been in my files for weeks.

These reflections are a way of examining how I am living my life. Hopefully, it is a means to check continuity between beliefs and behaviors.

When I find there is dissonance, at least through these reflections and self examinations, there is the opportunity to tune the instrument.

"The unexamined life is not worth living." Socrates.