Taking Heart

Blessed are the undefiled in the way,
Who walk in the law of the Lord!
Blessed are those who keep His testimonies,
Who seek Him with the whole heart!
Psalm 119:1,2 NKJV



Whole heart? "Whole"? OK, for the sake of splitting hairs, the New International Version and New American Standard say "all your heart". The King James is a stickler for the terms whole, complete, entire.

To be honest, who knows what goes on inside the human heart? Other than it being deceitful amongst all things, the seat of affections and the compass that veers a person throughout life? Many things keep the heart running, so to speak - joys, fears, ambition, hopes, dreams, disappointments, anger, etc. And to sum it... a person is the sum of all there is in his heart...

It is so easy to thank God when things are going well, when things are looking good study or career-wise, when family is showing each other love and consideration, when you have plenty left over in your bank account. When your kids make choices that bring joy and glow to your being. When despite hardship and suffering, you see value in your investment.

It is not so easy to be grateful when all those things are non-existent and you cannot see even half a step ahead of you. It is definitely not fun to be lost, destitute, purposeless, or worse... wandering in the wasteland of hope deferred. If anything could exact the cruelty of a slow execution, this has gotta be it. A gradual chipping away of the soul leaving a vacant shell of a body in its wake. Talk about the Living Dead.

Anyways.

The Psalmist said those who enjoy blessing are those who had given God their entire heart, warts and all. Like... he wasn't talking about sifting through the heart's contents and presenting only the choice parts, you know... keep the ugly bits under wraps since they are slimy muck (as if God could not handle such things). He said to give God the whole, entire, complete heart. No holds barred. Who would not shudder at the thought of being totally naked before God, stripped to the core, vulnerable, raw and defenceless?

No wonder we put up all kinds of fronts - rebellion, ignorance, triviality, apathy, or worse, a religious veneer to gloss over the obvious shortfall. I had been guilty of those things, although not in that order. All this in vain hope that God will pass by my weaknesses and let me be.

And God, being God, would not allow the defect to fester. Really, it is soooo hard to give God the entire heart. And unlock those hidden little chambers which hold on to their sordid little desires and secrets. Secrets too precious to be given away. But the blessed soul knows. Knows that no matter how deep the fear of violation, the freedom that ensues is more than enough to cover, restore and renew.

Perhaps too much has been said about the Six-Inch Journey from the head to the heart. Time to put some feet into those words and chalk up more mileage on the proverbial longest trip for man.