metanoia's Diaryland Diary

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Always change your oil

PSALM 51:3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.
5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.
9 Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

Pristine, clear, honest devotion; this is what I want to fill my heart. A squeaky-clean heart, full of divine light � how full our lives could be if we only allowed them to be full. Retrospect is a gift, a luxury to those of us who live on this earth longer than others. It gives a perspective that weights things differently. What was important to me as a young mother of 25, is not so important to me now. I understand that children grow up and how they are reacting and dealing with things in their lives will change in time. We can only help them to see the choices they make and help them to project how those choices may turn out. Whether my son drank all his orange juice would not even be an issue now. These are not the things that are important, but they seem to be the details we dwell on.

God knows our inner heart, our secret places, He exists there, dwells there. If we think we are hiding anything, it is only from ourselves. And if we stick all that crap there in our hearts, well God has to live among our shit. We don�t want that, do we? So, cleaning out the heart, giving Him a clean place to dwell is an admirable endeavor. It is also an ongoing process, not one that is done and then over. Having a clean heart, knowing wisdom, is a process not a destination.

I had a neighbor who was a mechanic. He was more than that, he was a Master Mechanic, well respected and meticulous. He knew engines and their needs and functions better than anyone I have ever met; he had an intuition � it was his gift. He told me the most important thing you could ever do for your car is change the oil. He said if people would just change their oil and oil filter and keep it clean most of their car problems to do with the engine would be gone. I have heeded his advice. I have a Toyota that has over 250,000 miles on it and it still runs great. All I have ever done is keep the oil clean. We are like a car putting miles on our lives in the living of it, keeping a clean heart is like keeping clean oil in our cars. We will run better, and longer because of it, and most of our �engine� problems will be gone.

12:57 p.m. - 2006-03-02

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