Purify My Heart...

I just finished reading a 2 part devotional by Lysa TerKeurst titled "A Sunny Perspective" that was posted on the Proverbs 31 (www.proverbs31.org) web site. I am a few days behind, this devotional started on January 25th, but it was so good I needed to talk about it (and please jump over to the site and read it - it's worth it!). While the entire devotion was amazing, there were a few things that really stood out and caused me to go back and really search my heart. Now, the morning I read this, I was not looking for such a deep message! I was in a rush and needed a quick little pick me up devtion to help me have a positive outlook for the day ahead! We all know that God has his own agenda, and it seems to stand out especially loud on those days we try to rush Him! So, knowing I would not win, and instead of having a delightful Monday outlook, I would be sour trying to figure out the message I had just been given. SO, I humbly sat, read, and re-read. Then, I got out my Bible and my journal. Then, I really opened my heart and let God speak to me.

Matthew 5:8
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Lysa TerKeurst goes on to list some points about this verse that struck me hard.
1. "If I want to see God in my home, I must seek to purify my heart."
2. "If I want to seek God in my marriage, I must seek to purify my heart."
3. "If I want to see God in my children's lives, I must seek to purify my heart."
4. "If I want to see God in my everyday life, I must seek to purify my heart."

I though to myself, but I do have God in my home, I make sure there He is there! Then I thought a little deeper. Yes, He is there, he is everywhere, but can I really see Him? Do I ever really stop and say "Good morning God! THanks for another day!". No, I don't. I like to think that I have it together and my house is a haven for serving God, but it's not. My house is in utter chaos!
I stopped and thought hard about this for a bit. If I were on the outside looking in at my house, what would I see on say a typical Saturday afternoon. I'd see my hubby glued to the TV, my sweet 3 year old playing with her coveted doggies, and myself, at my wits end trying to find a place to shove one more can of soup into a cupboard that just can't hold anything else! And that's just the beginning. If I stuck around for a while, I'd see hubby wanting me to come sit & relax with him, and me saying in an exasperated tone that really annoys him "I can't, this house is a mess & I can't live like this", stay a bit longer, and my little piglet will be tuggint at my sleeve saying "Mama, please play with me" only to hear me say "In a few minutes". Is this what Iwant for my house and my family? NO!!!
I want to sit and play with my daughter and relax with my husband. So why is it not happening? Aha! "If I want to see God in my home, I must seek to purify my heart." I have been seeking to purify my stuff, not my heart. I wonder what would happen if I asked God to help me to get through the endless piles of stuff. I admit, I am a collector of anything. Well, you never know when you might need that little piece of ribbon that came tied around the pencils you bought, so save it! My sweet husband spent an entire day of his Christmas vacation trying to clean out the basement for me so I could have a place to work on my crafts. Oh, he got rid of a lot of stuff, but the basement is bulging at the seams.
So, my challenge to myself (and you, if you know what I'm talking about!) is to open my heart, and seek to purify it. I have been praying especially hard this week that God will work on my heart and give me the strength and guidance to get through my junk one small thing at a time. I am also praying that He will give me the peace in my heart to say "the stuff can wait an hour while I play with my daughter, or relax with my husband", and really enjoy that time without thinking of all I have to get done.
I know there are 3 other very important ways I mentioned above that we need to also seek to purify opur hearts for. I'm going to work on those too, and I hope you will! Baby steps, and lots of prayer and there will be some wonderfully pure hearts!