Pure as the Driven Snow

Matthew 5:8 esv

⁸ “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

The weather forecaster said it would be like this! And it was. Between 8 and 12 inches of snow were expected to fall by tonight. I even got an emergency alert on my phone to warn me to get off the roads! Well, after I checked to be sure all my family was safe, I just enjoyed to snowfall! It’s so pretty, so gentle, so pristine, so pure! I have always believed that this first accumulating snowfall of the season is like an ‘outdoor housecleaning’. Somehow the dirt and grime of the past year just falls to the ground with the snow.

That’s a great thought, but probably not a reality. What can be a reality is our own heart housecleaning to become a ‘pure heart’. The promise from God is that a pure heart will see God! That is quite a promise, and God is not like a man that He would lie! So, how can we even attempt to achieve a pure heart? Mankind has so many flaws, so many ungodly habits, even blasphemous lifestyles, how? There is only one way; repent and return to the right way! At this time of year, we often find ourselves purging our homes of the old stuff to make room for the new. January is a great time to get rid of the old junk in our hearts as well. Same with us when we want to either break a bad habit or begin a good one. In our own will, we start off with good intentions, but fall short, shortly afterward!

So, what can we do? Well, first let’s explore this one attribute God has given us He expects us to uphold. Pure; clean, blameless, unstained from guilt, purified by fire or pruning. Ouch! That sounds painful, and it can be! I learned that when a metal worker puts gold into a fire to refine it, the way he knows it is ready is when he sees his reflection in the gold! That is an illustration for us. We often need to go through some fires! Maybe an illness, the loss of someone, a financial hardship. Those are the things that cause us to run to God, as we are helpless in fixing them on our own. When we run to God and He comforts us with His all-knowing and caring ways, our reflection of Him to others becomes brighter! Little by little, with each problem or trial, success, shines up that reflection until we are like the pure, gentle unstained snow bringing a reflection of God to the world we live in.

So, I am not saying that a pure heart is an easy task, but it is doable, or God would not have told us to do it. Purity is an attribute that needs to be worked on daily. We need to be aware of what we should not do, pay attention to our own habits to see if we are doing it. If we see we are, we must be strategic, ask for God’s help, and we wil slowly, steadily and surely see progress.

There is a reason why brides wear white on their wedding day. They show their new husband, and all her guests, she is pure as she starts this marriage. They made up their mind to be pure, and resisted temptation when it came along. Let’s strive for purity in our lives so our reflection of God, to others will be like the purity of snow!

Question; Is this an area where you struggle? Go to the scriptures and absorb what God says about purity.