Blessed are the pure in heart

Matthew 5: 1- 12

God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God (NLT)

The "beatitudes" or blessings are familiar to most Christians. We have read and even memorized them and perhaps become too familiar with them. This is unfortunate because what Jesus proclaims is intended to upset our traditional and cultural assumptions. They are most disquieting statements if we truly understand how radical they are.

Recently I have been struggling with whether and when to speak up and express my discomfort over the way corporate decisions are made in my church. I do not hold an elected post and was not present at the decision making meeting. I am a ministry head and will be involved in another meeting next week - from what I have been told, to decide on matters of implementation. My heart is heavy whenever I begin to think about how decisions are made based primarily on practical and economic considerations. All I hear is that the offer concerning the new premises is too good to be true. That is a fact, economically speaking. But I wonder whether anyone has stopped to ask, "What do we all sense about this offer? Can we take the great offer as one factor in the consideration but also consider how the Spirit is really moving in people's hearts? Is there a sense of joy and peace? Are there people who are not quite there with the others? What is their hesitancy about? Can we hear them out, without rejecting them for being stumbling blocks?"

Churches talk a lot about being of one mind and heart whenever a corporate decision is to be made. Sounds great in theory, but from what I observe, it usually ends up with the most vocal having their say. Or it is usually majority vote wins. A win-lose situation. The majority must have discerned better while the minority may not even be heard and appreciated for their contribution. Have we forgotten that everyone makes an important contribution in the whole process, from the greatest to the least?

I have to search my heart before I even decide whether to speak up. In Scripture, the 'heart' denotes the center of one's being, where thoughts, intentions and motivations find their origin. Precisely there, our Lord seeks purity. Discernment is a process where hearts have to be purified of personal, hidden agendas, of rebellious attitudes towards God and others. It is time to conduct a spiritual inventory, in my case, about whether I cherish any hidden agendas. "Search me, O God, and know my heart. Test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me....." We can only see and hear God clearly when we humbly acknowledge our blind spots (perhaps asking God to reveal them), repent of any wrong attitudes and ask for the grace of openness to God's will.