Pure in Heart

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

Pure- free from dust, dirt or taint; free from what vitiates, weakens, or pollutes; containing nothing that doesn't properly belong; free from moral fault or guilt

This is a tough one for me, because I struggle with the purity of my heart. I often wonder if my motives are pure, if I am humble or proud in my heart or if I simply choose to neglect purity.

Pure. Obviously a good thing, a healthy thing. Why do we so often invite things into our hearts that don't belong there? They become the dirt that pollutes us, weakening our convictions and killing our long-run self-esteem. The impurity of the heart affects the rest of our body, mind, soul, what have you. Obviously the "heart" is metaphoric since the heart itself carries no ties to emotion or thought.

But why the heart? Why choose that particular organ to represent our deepest, most passionate love?

Because the heart (the actual organ) is central to our body's survival. The body can't live without it, and it is involved in every body system. It never stops working, and it doesn't work on an as-needed basis. It is precious to our lives. It is vital. It continues to pump blood throughout our bodies whether we are awake or asleep, sick or well, hot or cold, sad or happy.

Unless something blocks it. Something that enters it that doesn't belong. It stops beating; you die; the end.

That is why the heart represents our unique person. It's the thing that sets us apart from others, the thing that defines the course of our lives; it loves, it hurts, it houses our God. That's the metaphoric Heart. Just like literal heart, metaphoric Heart is central. Without it, we cease to exist as an individual. We need to take care of it. Just like a person who eats a Big Mac twice a day, if we fill ourselves with crap, our Hearts will be in serious trouble.

With all of that said, what does a pure heart look like? I think it looks like this: pure motives, selfless attitudes, forgiveness, mercy, humility, pure thoughts and pure bodies-- basically all that God gives us in the Bible to live by.

So if the Heart is our own unique personality, our "self," if you will, then taking care of it is cultivating our own unique identity in Christ. Rather than molding us all into the same, cookie-cutter image of a perfect, boring Christian, Jesus promotes our individuality by telling us the best way to live in order to gain freedom from sin. Sin is what makes us all the same; purity is what sets us apart from those around us. I know it seems ridiculous, but if you really sit and ponder on this for a few minutes, it makes more sense.

If we get rid of the blockages in our Heart, we have the freedom to live, and to live well. If we submit to sin, we are slaves to it, looking more and more sad and hopeless everyday. We lose our spirit and our uniqueness to something we thought would give us freedom, but instead presented shackles. The pure in heart will see God. This is true- for God is a God of freedom.