In the hustle and bustle of our daily lives, it's easy to lose sight of what truly matters – our connection with God. We often find ourselves caught up in the distractions of the world, focusing on our own preferences and desires rather than aligning our hearts with His. But what does it really mean to see God clearly?
The Beatitudes in Matthew 5 offer us a glimpse into the characteristics of a disciple, the aspirations we should strive for as people of God. Among these is the call to be pure in heart, for those who are pure in heart will see God. But what does it mean to be pure in heart?
At first glance, we might think that being pure in heart means being sinless, perfect in every way. After all, Adam and Eve walked with God in the garden because they were sin-free. But the reality is, because of sin, we will never achieve that perfect picture on this side of eternity. Instead, being pure in heart is about the daily process of sanctification – becoming more like Jesus every single day.
It's like tuning an old TV antenna, adjusting it bit by bit to get a clearer picture. We may not always get it right, but we keep making those small corrective actions, striving to align our hearts with God's desires. And when we find ourselves not seeing God clearly, it's an opportunity to reflect inward and ask ourselves – are we being as pure of heart as we can be? Are we walking in line with God, trying to be more like Jesus in our thoughts, actions, and passions?
The prayer of Thomas Merton, an ancient saint, beautifully captures this idea. He prays, "I believe that the desire to please you does, in fact, please you. And I hope that I have that desire in all that I am doing." It's not about the perfection of our actions, but the sincerity of our desire to please God. Even when we don't know the way, even when the road ahead is dark and uncertain, we can trust that if our heart's desire is to follow after God, He will lead us on the right path.
But seeing God is about more than just physical sight. The Hebrew scriptures use the word "yada" to describe knowing God intimately, understanding the inner workings of who He is. It's like an engineer taking apart a machine to see how all the pieces fit together. When we seek to know God in this way, we begin to see Him not just in the beauty of a sunset, but also in the brokenness and pain of the world around us.
And as we align our desires with God's, we start to see things differently. We no longer measure success and failure by the world's standards, but by God's. We begin to ask ourselves – are we loving God and loving others in all that we do? Are our words, actions, and policies reflecting the heart of Jesus, who came to seek and save the lost?
In a world that is constantly changing, it can be tempting to cling to what is familiar and comfortable. But true purity of heart comes from keeping our eyes fixed on the unchanging plumb line of God's love. As Jesus simplified it, the greatest commandments are to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind, and to love our neighbor as ourselves.
So let us strive each day to be pure in heart, to align our desires with God's, and to love Him and others with every fiber of our being. For when we do, we will see God more clearly than ever before, and we will find that it is well with our souls, no matter what storms may come our way.