Dear Tom,
The Sufi master, Hazrat Khan, speaks a great deal about purity of heart. So did Jesus. Remember Matthew 5:8 – “Blessed are the pure of heart for they will see God.” Different translations of his words change Blessed to Happy or other similar words, but the concept is all the same — if you are pure of heart you will see God. The attainment of a pure heart; however, is a different matter. It may seem impossible to empty one’s heart of all feelings of bitterness and evil thoughts, but in truth it takes but a few moment’s silence and a desire to erase from the heart every doubt, fear, and thought of malice. Over time this practice enables one to purify one’s heart.
Often I have a tendency to get discouraged at my own shortcomings. I feel unworthy to seek purity. I celebrate the virtue of humility, ignoring the fact that I am withdrawing from the good, beautiful, and spiritual that is available to me. When I do this, I give wrong a soul of its own in my spirit. It has a snowball effect collecting errors I have committed and the debris of bitterness and regret. I come close to becoming helpless to my weaknesses and a slave to my errors.
Fortunately when I start taking this journey toward servitude, I am rescued by the purity of other’s hearts like your own and the hearts of children. Those who are pure in heart can remove from my heart doubt, deceit, fear, and malice. Hazrat Khan said, “the greater the purity developed in the heart, the greater becomes the power of man.” Yet that power expresses itself in simplicity. I have written a great deal about people who have a presence. The pure- hearted may seem to be thinking, saying, and doing simple things, yet there is beauty and charm in all they do. The pure-hearted see more deeply, though they say little. It’s their presence that makes all around them pure.
Thank you dear friend for helping me continue. Webb
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