Clean Hands and Pure Heart

My thoughts on Elder Bednar's talk "Clean Hands and a Pure Heart"

Yesterday as I sat reading this during the sacrament I’m not sure why I couldn’t concentrate on the words in the article. I was flustered and wasn’t paying attention. In fact nothing was highlighted at all. I truly felt like I missed the whole thing.
First, this is a repeat of so many other talks that call us to repentance and since my personal and family scripture study are at points in the Book of Mormon (two different points—2 Nephi and Helaman) when the prophet of the time is calling the Nephites and Lamanites to repentance, I felt as if I had just heard this. The principles outlined were nothing new.
Second, we have had quite a few sacrament meetings on topics very similar to this in the past few months so again, I felt as if I had just heard this.
Third, our Stake President was in attendance at our meeting (rare event) and I kept reflecting on many of his sermons as he is just a few short months away from taking his family to Sao Paulo, Brazil, to serve as mission president down there. He talks are almost always on repentance.
Lastly, I just couldn’t get “in the mood,” for sacrament meeting. I don’t know what was wrong, but I was struggling yesterday morning. Maybe it was because I had prepared so well Saturday night that I wasn’t rushed, rushed, rushed Sunday morning and there for out of form. ~smile~

BUT, when I had finished, I went back to read the title of the talk again and I was struck for the first time that these two things: clean hands and pure heart are TWO different things. It is about repenting and then covenanting not to do them again. This is making sure the flesh is clean as well as the spirit.

“Our sincere desire should be to have both clean hands and a pure heart—both a remission of sins from day to day and to walk guiltless before God.”

“I witness that the Savior will strengthen and assist us to make sustained, paced progress.”

I guess I wasn’t going through the motions anymore.