the pure in heart

I already blogged about my revelation on loving one another, which is fortunate, because I had forgotten about that, and this morning my scripture study was on Zion. My roommate/IRLBFF Jacque studies Zion a lot, and as I have also already blogged about, in my daily life service has become an issue, so I decided I needed to study Zion more.

Zion is the pure in heart.

My scripture study today led me to this talk from the Presiding Bishop of the Church, entitled "Come to Zion! Come to Zion!" In it, he discusses six principles of a Zion society: love, service, work, self-reliance, consecration, and stewardship. He also states that as we practice these principles, we become pure in heart.

I've been pondering these things since I got up an hour ago. The other thing I've been studying lately is the virtuous woman of Proverbs 31. I recently decided to memorize the passage, and I'm about halfway done with that project, which is exciting. But anyway, this morning I was just realizing how the virtuous woman of Proverbs 31 exemplifies the six principles of Zion/being pure in heart. She loves, and serves, and works hard, is self-reliant. Not only does she give to the poor and needy, she "stretches" and "reaches" out her hands toward them. What a perspective on consecration! She's not just sharing her substance because she has to; she's actively looking for opportunities to help others. She's stretching and reaching for these opportunities. And obviously, she's a great steward.

One thing I have felt impressed to begin lately is nightly planning for the day ahead. I haven't actually done it yet, although I did just plan my day today. Today will be busy, but good: there's a lot of service and consecration planned. I'll admit I have not been super excited about that, but I'm working on it. This is what it will take to be the person I want to be, so I guess that's that.