Pure

-Written by Joy Gilman-

My family and I live near a river that is dark as a cup of coffee. Bayous connect to this waterway, as well as a large lake that opens up to the Gulf of Mexico. Catfish, alligators and bull sharks coexist in these sediment-laden waters and Louisiana locals bravely swim among them. My teenage son is one of them. He told me he and his buddies used to soar towards the sky on an old rope swing and then drop into the warm river. Rather than coming up for air, they'd hold their breath and allow themselves to sink like stones towards the bottom. They'd descend just far enough until they almost lost sight of the sunlight at the water's surface. All around them was darkness, except for a glimmer of light up above. Then all at once they would propel themselves upwards and breach the surface, gasping for air. It was a dangerous stunt and I am grateful my son did not drown in the river's depths. Murky waters may block the sun but a murky heart can obscure the lens through which we see life.

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God."

Matthew 5 : 8 NIV

Some words the Merriam-Webster Dictionary uses to define the word pure are: spotless, free from guilt, containing nothing that does not properly belong. To have a pure heart as an adult requires commitment and intentionality. It does not just happen. It must be fought for. If we're not careful, contaminants like anger, resentment, distrust, self-preservation, greed, lust, and deceit slip and drip into our hearts and skew our perspective. We no longer see things clearly. Gratitude is gone. Appreciation evaporates. Faith falters. In their place are skepticism, cynicism and humanism. And all of the sudden God seems to hide behind a veil. When the waters of our hearts are muddied, it's difficult to truly see God in our daily lives, even though He is always there. We fail to perceive the tiny miracles, the serendipitous encounters, the answered unspoken prayers, or the magnificent power and brilliance of creation. We are deaf and dumb to His workings even though the world is saturated with His presence. To see God in the here and now, and even more so in eternity, we must do the dirty work of clearing out the rubbish in our hearts. We need to have the difficult talks, work through the unresolved pain, forgive the unrepentant offender, address the hidden addiction, expose the secret sin, and release the harbored bitterness. Like Merriam-Webster says, let there be "nothing that does not properly belong" take up residence inside our hearts. Then and only then will we truly see God.

Recommended reading:

Psalm 51

James 5:13-18

Hebrews 12:14-29