Blessed Are the Pure in Heart

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

Life is hard. And if you’ve lost a child, life will be hard all of your life

I didn’t put a period at the end of that sentence because it isn’t the end. It is the beginning—the beginning of a life where you trust in and rely on Jesus.

How can we Hope Mommies trust in and rely on a “God that let us down?” We can because we are Hope Mommies—we hope in the Lord. He is our only hope.

“This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls,” Hebrews 6:19

Our reality is one of longing and suffering

Again, I did not use a period at the end of that sentence because it isn’t the end. Even though we have a reality of longing for our child and suffering the loss, we do not stop there. We must continue to seek the Lord and let His hope invade every nook and cranny of our hearts.

“Create in me a pure heart and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10

Steadfast: resolutely or dutifully firm and unwavering.

A pure heart is one that is singularly focused. We can focus on the negative—the pain and the suffering—or we can focus on the Lord. I choose to focus on the Lord. As we lean on the Lord and learn more and more of His goodness, kindness and faithfulness by reading His word and letting it speak life to us, our heart’s become pure.

You might be thinking, “I don’t care about a pure heart right now, I want my child.” I hear you, sweet Mama. But we want to keep our hearts pure of anger and bitterness. The best way to do that is to focus on the Lord. Let His words fill your heart so all that remains is pure.

“Then I realized that my heart was bitter, and I was all torn up inside. I was so foolish and ignorant—I must have seemed like a senseless animal to you. Yet I still belong to you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny. Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth. My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart. He is mine forever.” Psalm 73:21-26 (NLT)

If we let the Lord have those places of our heart that are torn up inside, He will mend them and they will be stronger than ever. He will be the strength of our hearts.

Doesn’t that sound better than having to do it ourselves? It sure does to me.

The purifying process for gold or silver requires heat and/or chemicals. It is only by burning away the bad stuff in the raw precious metals that they become pure. When we ask the Lord to create in us a pure heart, sometimes the process is painful but having walked down this path for over twenty-one years, I can say without a doubt that as the Lord has purified my heart. And as He has purified my heart, He has also renewed it with a steadfast, resolutely, dutifully firm and unwavering spirit.

Along the way, I pressed in to the Lord so I could press on with a life filled with joy and hope—regardless of my circumstances here on earth. Unlike David in the above Psalm, I have someone in heaven waiting for me other than the Lord. I have a son.

And you have a child waiting for you. So cling to the Lord. Let Him purify your heart. As your heart becomes pure, you will see the Lord more clearly. As you seek Him, He will show Himself to you.

“Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you.” Psalm 25:5 (NLT)

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Shelly D. Templin is an author, speaker and blogger that shares a message of hope—with humor. She has three daughters, a son-in-law, and a granddaughter. Shelly lives in Texas with her husband, Jack, of 29 years and their two dogs. Are you a writer who would like to join the blog team? Learn more and apply here.  

   

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