Innocence

I will wash my hands in innocence.

 - From Psalm 26

I'm about to go negative here, in just a moment. I am going to lift words straight from Scripture . . . words that are avoided by decent modern seeker-friendly churches. Words that make us squirm, that feel like we're being "guilted." Judgmental words. Words that haters use. 

I'm going to go there. 

But let's start with something positive, which is why I took this specific phrase for the reference.

We all like "innocence," right? Don't we all honor innocence? Don't we regard it favorably? Isn't it a universally admired virtue?

Yes, I believe it is. 

Granted, it gets mocked by the sophisticates among us. It strikes the intelligentsia as something for the immature, the unworldly. Children are innocent. And we only like innocence because we like children. 

Most people would love to return to childhood. Those that would not, probably had unhappy childhoods . . . so we will not use that as a paradigm for our purposes today. We will go for the ideal. And happy childhoods are about as ideal as life gets.

So let's start with innocence. And let's assume that we would give up all those perks of adulthood (which are defined as anything with the concept of "adult-themed" associated with it), if we could be a child again. When innocence is lost, good things are lost. Yes, those that have lost their innocence may be more knowledgeable. They have street smarts. They have savvy. But they've still lost something good.

Innocence is closer to God. Innocence is good, and it is desirable. The Psalmist had dirty hands. He had done some bad things, and thought wrong thoughts. Yet he sought for innocence and washed his hands with it. He could re-honor it, and make it right again. Baptism is a full immersion in innocence. This is why it works.

So with our focus on innocence, let's look at some words in today's reading, that are, by their context, considered as the opposites of innocence:

• Worthless
• Deceitful
• Evildoers
• Wicked

The Psalmist talks about having nothing to do with the non-innocent. Apparently, he is reaching for closeness with God. Evidently, he believes that such an attainment is a desirable thing. He equates this purity, and closeness to God, as being akin to immortality and the experience of great joy, happiness, and peace.

So, when a person comes across as judgmental, and even, hateful, just because they talk about things like innocence and purity; and if they seem standoffish to you, just consider the possibility that they have found the quest to be a very good thing, a happy and peaceful thing. 

And rather than concluding that they hate you. Consider the proposition that they would gladly show you the steps that they have found to be essential, in reaching that place of ultimate happiness.