Blessed are the Pure in Heart

So my parents are in town, which is wonderful. I know Scott is a little tired of having company (heck, so am I!) but he's being a real good sport about it and it's nice to spend time with my parents.

We took them to see Prince Caspian last night. Yes, I went again. It was just that good. It was better the second time. There were a lot of things I missed. (Although when I told Scott about them, he was all, "yeah. yep. I know, pretty cool, huh?" So apparently, he gets everything the first time around and I'm just slow. He says it's because he's read a lot of war stories.) It's just a very thought-provoking movie and all of the thoughts it provokes are good ones. I like that.

I was thinking a lot about Lucy while I was watching it. Of course Edmund is my favorite character. We all love a redeemed protagonist. We love to believe in our capacity for life-altering change--and I do believe that Christ can make that change happen for us! But I was really struck by the simple and unwavering faithfulness of Lucy. My sister says she probably represents children. On a more analytical level, I'm pretty sure she represents John the Beloved. But I also think she represents the person we should all be, the person King Benjamin was talking about when he told us to put off the natural man and become as a little child. Lucy was pure in heart and because of it, her experiences with Aslan were very personal and beautiful. What struck me is how richly she was rewarded for her faithfulness. All of her siblings were kings and queens of Narnia and Aslan loved them all. But Lucy had peace and joy and direction even in the most turbulent times because of her faith.

It can be the same for us. I know that Jesus Christ loves us all and wants to save us all. He is very powerful and great. His Atonement will redeem many of God's children and welcome them into His presence. But His Spirit can be with us on a day to day basis if we are pure in heart today. If we seek Him out and make time to feel His peace, we will be richly blessed with it. Lucy was always looking for Aslan. She always knew she couldn't do it alone. We must always look to the Savior. We cannot do it alone. I shouldn't wait for trouble to come unto the Savior. This whole line of thought reminds me of Jacob's sermon to the Nephites. He was calling them to repentance, but he knew that there were some in the congregation who had been faithful and didn't need that clarion call. To them he promised: "Behold, I Jacob would speak unto you that are pure in heart. Look unto God with firmness of mind, and pray unto him with exceeding faith, and he will console you in your afflictions, and he will plead your cause, and send down justice upon those who seek your destruction. O all ye that are pure in heart, lift up your heads and receive the pleasing word of God, and feast upon His love; for ye may, if your minds are firm, forever."