Sincerity

Did you know that the word "sincerity" means singleness of heart? What a challenge, isn't it! In terms of our faith walk with Jesus, what it takes to be His sincere follower is singleness of heart. The way the heart tends to divide itself and resist absolute commitment is probably the most frustrating thing about being human. Human nature is to deceive oneself into thinking that the heart can capture contradictory aims all in one fell swoop. Wrong answer, alerts the Scripture. That is a fool's mirage, and fools fall for it. I go in the fool category.

The adage, "follow your heart," is a sure ticket to a conflicted, insincere life. I think the reverberations of sincerity in our commitment to Jesus' call -- how He calls us to live our lives, in other words, the lifestyle proper for his followers and friends -- falls directly on our earthly relationships. Our "horizontal" relationships, as Boccacio (and many, many other writers after him) describes. What a challenge! To be a sincere friend, lover, worker, leader, parent, daughter/son -- any number of roles we fill in relationships -- REQUIRES singleness of heart.

 Can anyone second that this is a very high calling? Surely this is a dimension of keeping one's own heart pure, beyond considerations of chastity. A pure heart is an undivided heart, with little to hide because that person fights to keep his heart singular. Make no mistake, foolish human nature: a sincere heart is the result of active resistance to letting cracks, splinters, and divisions emerge. But, remember Jesus has compassion on us in our weakness, as these cracks in our heart are indeed inevitable, but He provides the power (and even the desire) to fight for singleness of heart.