Clean Heart

Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones that you have broken rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins,
and blot out all my iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from your presence,
and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and uphold me with a willing spirit. Psalm 51:8-12

Some times the hurts just pile up and it is easy to want to seek revenge or punishment for those who have hurt us. Sometimes people misinterpret our kind actions and claim we are selfish and villainous. People can do very bad things in the name of the church, democracy and in God's name. And the wounds that we bear can be deep and fracture our hearts. We can't always fix our broken and messy hearts, but God can. The poet and king David understood that. And we too must act like we know that until it takes hold. Today, I would like to share a poem attributed to another great saint, Mother Teresa. When the world comes on strong with hurts and betrayals, this has always brought me back, bound up my wounds and reminded me where my heart truly resides.





Anyway

People are often unreasonable, illogical and self centered;
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and your God;
It was never between you and them anyway.

Mother Teresa