Simply Soul Searching
HOW IS GOD LOVING ME – AND WHERE IS GOD LEADING ME?
MENTORING MOMENTS – PURE IN HEART
FRIDAY, APRIL 1ST
A TIME OF BLESSING
Today is Friday, our time to gather for a blessing from our mentor and friend, Jesus. He welcomes us to his side as he shares the next words from his Sermon on the Mount, the Beatitudes…
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. (Matthew 5:8, NRSV)
As you sit in the comfort of his love and grace, what comes to mind when you hear the word, pure? What would it mean for you to be pure of heart at this moment? Is there anything to remove or at least set aside for now? How do you sense Jesus is blessing you with his words today?
Reflection:
When I hear this passage, I generally think of pure of heart as being free from our sinful ways that keep us from coming to God, at times even trying to avoid God. I also understand pure of heart as being free from our distractions – goals, schedules, other enticements – that draw our attention away from God. But today I find pure of heart as being free even from our self-perceptions, the way we see ourselves seeking God!
For example, some days when I spend time with God in prayer and reflection, I come as a writer. I am hoping to glean some guidance and inspiration for my writing – and God welcomes my prayers and blesses my time. But if my intention is to simply be with and to see God with an open heart, I need to set aside my writer’s soul. Other days I may need to clear my soul of being a worried parent, a nature enthusiast, a busy professional, a concerned advocate, or even a scared child. If we hope to be open and present to God, to know and see God as truly and fully as possible, we need to set aside our own ideas of ourselves.
Pure of heart is having no other intention except to be present to God. We come with no desires, no agendas, no comparisons to others, not even personal hopes for our time together. We even set aside our expectations of God in order for God to reveal God.
And when we can come free from self-perceptions, God has more of an opportunity to reveal who we truly are, too.
Side note: As I wrote this, I couldn’t help but think of my blogger friend, Andrew, who has a beautiful and inspirational blogsite, https://blessed-are-the-pure-of-heart.blogspot.com/ (as well as a book with the same name). You may want to read his posts!
Photo by Cathal Mac an Bheatha on Unsplash
Bible verses found at https://www.biblegateway.com/
Simply Soul Searching 
Thank you so much for the mention!
I try to keep my heart-thoughts pure,
for that’s where faith is reckoned.
It’s something that I can endure
for about a second,
and then the heart will dash away
unto joyous perdition
like a goat on holiday,
or warthog on a mission
to find the foulest ranked earth
in which to roll and kick his legs,
giving once again rebirth
to the crying soul that begs
forgiveness in sincerest sorrow
that won’t last until tomorrow.
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You’re welcome – my pleasure! I am finally home from a busy weekend and want to thank you again for your thoughtful comments. You bless me every time!
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