pure – Heather C. King – Room to Breathe

Psalm 12:6 ESV
The words of the Lord are pure words,
like silver refined in a furnace on the ground,
purified seven times.
Psalm 19:8 ESV
the precepts of the Lord are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is pure,
enlightening the eyes;
Psalm 24:4-5 ESV
He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
    who does not lift up his soul to what is false
    and does not swear deceitfully.
⁵He will receive blessing from the Lord
    and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
Psalm 51:10 ESV
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
Psalm 73:1 ESV
Truly God is good to Israel,
to those who are pure in heart.
Psalm 119:9 ESV
How can a young man keep his way pure?
By guarding it according to your word.
Proverbs 15:26 ESV
The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord,
but gracious words are pure.
Proverbs 16:2 ESV
All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes,
but the Lord weighs the spirit.
Proverbs 20:11 ESV
Even a child makes himself known by his acts,
by whether his conduct is pure and upright.
Proverbs 21:8 ESV
The way of the guilty is crooked,
but the conduct of the pure is upright.
Matthew 5:8 ESV
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God
2 Corinthians 7:1 ESV
Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body^[a] and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.
2 Corinthians 11:2-3 ESV
For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband,to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. ³But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.
Philippians 1:9-10 ESV
And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more,with knowledge and all discernment, ¹⁰so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ
Philippians 4:8 ESV
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
Timothy 1:5 ESV
The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.
1 Timothy 5:22 ESV
Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, nor take part in the sins of others; keep yourself pure.
2 Timothy 2:22 ESV
So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
Titus 1:15 ESV
To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled.
Hebrews 10:22 ESV
let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
James 1:27 ESV
Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visitorphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
James 3:17 ESV
But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.
1 Peter 1:22 ESV
Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart,
1 John 3:3 ESV
And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.
Revelation 19:8 ESV

it was granted her to clothe herself
with fine linen, bright and pure”—

for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.

Dear Catherine,

You’ve been asking me for months for a stethoscope for your birthday. A REAL one. One that allows you to hear your actual heart beating actual beats.

I’m not surprised. You’ve been telling me for two years that you want to be a nurse or a doctor when you grow up.

I know how these things work. Kids might spin through a dozen potential occupations by the time they enter college and then change their major five times as an undergraduate and still go on to graduate school uncertain about their future.

But this is your constant so far. And I see it in you, that remarkable blend of gentle compassion and courage that you’d need to care for others.

So, I bought you that stethoscope and I made sure it was pink, your favorite color.

It’s because I’ll probably call you “Baby Girl” even when you get married and when you cradle your own newborns and even when you watch your children get married and then gaze on your grandchildren.

You will always be “Baby Girl” to this momma of three stair-step daughters.

Yet, here you are five years old. Somehow you’ve grown in a flash and now you’re headed off to kindergarten. You’re always pushing and pushing to grow taller, to learn more, to be bigger, to get older. As distant as it seems now, that future isn’t so far off and, oh, “Baby Girl,” I want to help you become all that God intends for you to be.

Maybe, just maybe, you’ll need that stethoscope.

In a month-and-a-half, I’ll no longer be the one person you spend most of your time with. You’ll be sitting in classrooms, learning from teachers, making friends and standing your ground when kids are mean.

I’ll miss you so.

But you are ready.

You picked out your outer space backpack covered in sparkly stars. You’ve toted that new backpack and the matching lunchbox all around town ever since we bought it.

You’ve cheerfully done what you call “my homework” every day this summer, running through a series of activities you picked out yourself to practice math and reading and then playing a tune on the piano.

You’ve read me those books aloud and we’ve cheered you right on as you learn new words.

More than that, you’ve bounced into offices and classrooms with confidence and excitement. You’re not afraid of school buses, classrooms, or hallways, not the cafeteria or making new friends.

That’s the courage and the bravery in you.

Others may first see your gentleness and sweet spirit. You’re a bucket of joy, just spilling out enthusiasm all over the place. You’re quick to clap your hands and explode into a crazy story about something that made you laugh. You’ll jump and dance and your eyes grow five times their normal size when you’re excited and you wave your hands wildly when you talk to us at the dinner table.

But oh, girl, you’re a powerhouse of strength and resolve, standing up for what is right against kids who are far older and bigger than you and who try to manipulate you or even say they hate you. It’s already begun and you’re already standing ground. Catherineballet

We gave you the name Catherine, a woman of strength and authority. You are that.

Yet, your name means “Pure.” You keep asking me what that means exactly. Pure. That’s hard to define for a five-year-old girl.

I tell you how it’s loving what God loves and hating what God hates. It’s being passionate for what’s right and good and true. It’s running far away from sin and when you do mess up, it’s running right back to Jesus with a heart of true repentance because you want so much to please Him.

You are that, too. Your name is a perfect fit.

You are always thinking about God and you are quick to pray. You have compassion for the hurting and you are a gentle and thoughtful friend. You are fun and you are funny. You are strong and gentle at the same time.

For your fifth birthday, Baby Girl, I pray this for you:

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God (Matthew 5:8 NIV).

Love,
~mom~

Heather King is a wife, mom, Bible Study teacher, writer and worship leader. Most importantly, she is a Christ follower with a desire to help others apply the Bible to everyday life with all its mess, noise, and busyness. Her book, Ask Me Anything, Lord: Opening Our Hearts to God’s Questions, is available now! To read more devotionals by Heather King, click here.