PSALM 24:3-5:
Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who shall stand in his holy
place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his
soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the
Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
There is a lot of
emphasis in the scriptures on an organ in the body that gives us spiritual as
well as the physical life and that is the heart. Spiritually, the heart is the
seat of our emotion, the center of our being where the moral choices live. It
is a conduit for spiritual guidance that enables us to decide our truest
values, commitments and the direction of our lives. It also acts as a bridge of empathy,
compassion and desires. The Biblical and
Christian view is that the heart is the dwelling place of God, where the person
meets the divine.
I went through a period
of time a couple of years ago where I engaged in some serious introspection of
myself and my life. I viewed myself as an emotional female who always followed
her heart rather than her head and ended up with a less than a desirable life.
I wondered if my life would have come to be better if I had made different choices.
What I discovered was that my choices and decisions corresponded perfectly with
the deepest desires of my heart which brought me to God and which was exactly
where I wanted to be. I learnt through my introspection what it means to yield
one’s heart to God:
“Heart, soul, and mind
were the encompassing words of Christ in describing the first commandment,
which is constantly, not periodically, operative (see Matthew 22:37). If it is
kept, then our performances will in turn be fully consecrated for the lasting
welfare of our souls (see 2 Nephi 32:9). Such totality involves the submissive
converging of feelings, thoughts, words, and deeds.” (Elder Neal A. Maxwell, Consecrate
Thy Performance, in CR April 2002)
Consider the imperative
role the heart plays in deciding the state of our being (D&C 121:35-38):
-
When the hearts of men are set on the
things of the world, they will act in ways detrimental to spiritual growth,
including covering their sins, gratifying their pride and vain ambitions and
exercising unrighteous dominion over others. These actions cause the heavens to
withdraw themselves and the Spirit of the Lord to be grieved.
-
When the hearts of men are set on the
things of God, and aspire to God’s approval, they will act in ways beneficial
to spiritual growth, including repenting of their sins, humbling themselves,
seeking the kingdom of God first, and exercising love and charity toward
others. These actions cause the spirit of the Lord to be near and an increase
in power from on high.
If we reflect upon the
world of our day, it is easy to see that we have as a whole rejected the very
first commandment: “Thou shalt
love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all
thy mind” (Deuteronomy 6:5). We have neglected our hearts and because of this ‘the whole earth is in commotion
and men’s hearts are failing them, the love of men is waxing cold and iniquity is
abounding’ (D&C 45:26,27). Sin of every kind is dominating us: murder,
rape, fraud, deceit, theft, selfishness, vanity, pride…..
A pure heart is somewhere
that God can live. The more we yield
our hearts to Him, the more of His love will be planted in us. For
that reason, He stands at the door and knocks.
You
knock at the door of my heart
And
I often forget to turn the key.
With
sorrowing steps you retreat
Hoping
that one day
I
will remember Thee.
Of
my undying love
I
give Thee a token,
I
will keep the door open.
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
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