During church, I do all the things that look like worship. I sing and sway. When we pray, I bow my head in reverence. On the outside, I look like a woman fully devoted. But in truth, the inside is fully distracted. My heart is often elsewhere, threading its way through the week ahead.

I’m going over a conversation I had with my son. What errands do I need to run? What appointments do I need to make?

As my head is bowed and my eyes closed, I hear the pastor pray petitions for the church, the sick, the needy, and the dying.

Even then, my heart wanders into the ordinary, everyday life of grocery lists and meal planning.

I notice the division between what is seen on the outside and what is true. Try as I may to will my wandering heart back to worship, the struggle to stay present continues.

“And who shall stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false…” ~Psalm 24:3-4

Dear reader, perhaps I’m not alone in this. I’m certain many of us have inadvertently idolized our to-do lists and our anxieties above praising God and praying for others.

In the midst of typing these words, I am finding His grace:

Perhaps purity of heart has less to do with perfect attention but more to do with a sincere desire to be present with Him.

The Psalms are full of people who came to God, tangled up in confusion, grief, and self-absorption, yet they made it known that their hearts were reaching to be near Him.

A pure heart is a heart that pursues His presence, one that will simply pray, “Lord, let what I do on the outside become true on the inside. Draw me back to You.”

He will meet us in our scattered places, wherever we are distracted, and use it as an invitation to draw closer so that we may rest our hearts and minds in Him.

Songs for seasons such as this: