Integrity Of Heart (Psalm 101:2)

 


Friday, June 13, 2025


Psalms 101; 102:1-11

Ruth 3

Acts 3:1-16


Observance: Antony of Padua, missionary and preacher (d. 1231)


Integrity Of Heart (Psalm 101:2)


I will ponder the way that is blameless.
    Oh when will you come to me?
I will walk with integrity of heart
    within my house.


As we read through Ruth it is difficult not to be encouraged by the integrity of each of the characters. Naomi returns to her hometown in her widowhood, trusting in the goodness of her people to support her. Ruth holds to her mother-in-law with a duty infused with love – a true and honest loyalty. Both women trust in the culture of “redemption”; that is, in a society where women are easily exploited, it is the responsibility of the men to care for and support them. Boaz, the ideal “redeemer”, does not take advantage of this younger woman who approaches him at night, and not only acts with integrity towards her in what would have been a moment of great temptation for a lesser man, but acts with integrity as regards the system of “redemption”. There is a younger man (and, supposedly, more ideal for Ruth) who must accept or refuse the role of redeemer before Boaz will.


We all daydream (or at least, we should). Our imagination is a gift from God: it helps us reflect on who God is and what the spiritual reality that surrounds us means. It also helps us in our creativity. In the case of daydreaming, it can help us discern where we should be directing our efforts. Some people daydream about a fully-paid mortgage. Others certain personal and family circumstances. But what if we were to daydream like today’s Psalmist, to ponder the way that is blameless, to walk about our house with integrity of heart?


This is not the same as those whacko New-Age ideas about thinking hard enough about something until the imaginary becomes reality. Rather, it is a spiritual practise of reflecting on what a human being truly in the image of God might be like. And it is a practise because, when push comes to shove and we are in a moment where a split-second decision has to be made, we can make the right one. We read stories like that of Ruth and admire the integrity with which people are capable of. We pray the Psalms and gradually conform our heart to the heart of Christ. We spend a moment of just sitting back and daydreaming about what it will be like when that Day comes and we are finally made perfect in Christ, to be like he is, with no shadow of darkness within us, and all that we are sings of steadfast love and justice.


In what ways is Christ a role model to you? What is an attribute of his you would like to emulate more closely?


Lord of our dreams and wonders, in whom lies an infinity of eternal secrets to be uncovered: give us the peace to be able to explore in our imagination the people you desire us to become.

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