Month 3: Purity

pu·ri·ty

/ˈpyʊərɪti/ Show Spelled [pyoor-i-tee] Show IPA

noun

1.

the condition or quality of being pure; freedom from anything that debases, contaminates, pollutes, etc.: the purity of drinking water.

I don't want to get accused of plagiarism, so I'll tell you that was cut and pasted exactly from www.dictionary.com.  "The purity of drinking water".  Ironic for this blog given the content for 2013.  It's the word that has been on my heart this month.  Most people hear the word "purity" and they immediately relate it to sexual purity.  While that is true, it applies to so much more.   So much more...

So I have noticed a lot of beverages this month.  I know it sounds weird.  Sitting across the table from someone with a soda.  Watching a girl walking around with her 1/3 decaf caramel macchiato long pour extra hot with 2 shots of hazelnut.  Watching my kids gulp down buckets of milk.  I have continually thought, you know its just not water.  It is water+.  Water is its base but so much has been added to it. I realized that water has moved from a leftover drink ("well, if you don't have anything else, I guess water is ok") to my only choice.

What if my whole life, more than just what I drink, had a condition or quality of being pure and was free from anything that would debase contaminate or pollute it?  What if Christ moved from a leftover part of my life to my only choice, my only selection?

He who loves purity of heart and whose speech is gracious will have the king as his friend.

-Proverbs 22:11

Not just "a" king.  Not just "any" king.  "The" king.  When we love purity (and by loving purity I mean pursuing it, desiring it and accepting nothing but it) we end up keeping pretty good company.  When we remove all pollutants from our heart, body and mind (yes all three) our faith is sincere.  That is where my mind has lingered this month.  The beauty and the simplicity of water.  It's all I have but its all I need.  It's the same with Christ.  If He is all you have, you have everything you need.

Total raised to date - $6,221.30.

Month 2: Sacrifice

Total to date - $5,667.30 and growing.  You guys rock.

Ok.  In humility, I admit this is hard.  Not hard like experiencing deep emotional pain.  Not hard like working an 80 hour week.  Not hard like solving a Rubik's cube.  But hard.  Harder than I thought it was going to be.  I also thought it would get easier, but frankly it is getting harder.  I would really love a  cup of coffee right about now.

There different levels of sacrifice.  On the grand scheme of things, giving up all non-water drinks for a year is pretty small.  As I walk down the paths of comparative sacrifice, from the greatest sacrifice of all (Luke 23:44-46) to amazing feats of human forgiveness (Connie ten Boom, concentration camp survivor describing an encounter with a former Ravensbruck guard seeking her forgiveness with the following words - "For a long moment we grasped each other's hands, the former guard and the former prisoner. I had never known God's love so intensely as I did then") to barely noticeable ones (letting everyone else get in front of you at the potluck line), there is a common thread.  All of these acts, regardless of where they fall in the greatness spectrum, seek to offer something reflecting God's love that results in a holy fragrance laid at the foot of the throne.

Through Him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge His name.  Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God - Heb. 13:15-16.

That is what I long for.  That despite my desire for a cup of coffee in the morning, this continued sacrifice would raise money to provide water for those that have none.  That this continued sacrifice would demonstrate to everyone I come into contact with a reflection of Christ's love for the world.  That this continued sacrifice would transform who I am as person.  That this continued sacrifice would be one small part of a life that does not neglect to do good, that shares what it has and that is a sacrifice of praise that is pleasing to God.

Thanks for partnering with me on this journey.