Soul What?

"What will a man give in exchange of his soul?" (Matthew16:26)

There is a crises of Christian character in the American Church and most Christians are more concerned about the health-care crises than they are about the soul-care crises.  We are discovering the importance of taking care of our physical bodies, exercise, and staying physically fit.  Why have we neglected the greater maintenance of taking care of our souls?

We are losing our souls as we get spiritually weaker, sick, and our souls become so damaged by how we are neglecting what God has entrusted us foremost----to take care of our own soul.  We think Matthew 16:26 is about lost souls whereas it is about the soul in heaven on earth but not yet fully developed.  Jesus comes and chooses us before we ever choose Him.  Jesus reveals Himself even in our failures because He gives us the ability to repent and be restored to Him.

So many of us are sick or sickly because our bodies are sick and our souls are malfunctioning.  It does no good to be physically well if our soul and emotions are damaged and sick.  God wants us to be whole and well which means a sound mind, sound body, and sound spirit all working together in perfect harmony and order.  To neglect one of these areas is to lead potentially to the neglect and breakdown of them all.

One of the major causes of soul sickness besides worry stress and burnout are the masks we wear and hide behind.  Masks hide our true selves and causes great damage to our souls.  Masks keep both God and others out.  We can never have a genuine relationship with God if we are not honest with ourselves which means we are not honest with God either.   We can not have meaningful relationships with others if we keep up superficial walls we hide behind and not let others really inside.

Masks keep our sins secrets and starves our soul of the true relationships it cries out for.  Heroes or saints in God's eyes do not need secret identities.  The false masks of our own making keep us living on the surface of life while never going deeper into life.  Masks block off both intimacy and keeps us from seeing the many ways we deceive ourselves.  We hear people say things like "that is the way I am or just who I am" where really it's the continual lies we have been telling ourselves that keep us from going underneath to the real issues of life.

What God is calling us all back to is the real true self.  The You that is a one of a kind original.  The You that God loves with an everlasting love.  The You that God delights in and wants to be with.  We need to stop listening to all the voices of the world and trust and believe what God says about You.  The real you shows up by what offends you or what bothers you in other people.  Rather than looking at others, we need to look inside in the mirror and see what God is trying to show us about ourselves.  God has also chosen us and calls us beloved and until we believe what God says about us, we will continue to believe all the lies we hear others telling us or the lies we keep telling ourselves.

The prophet Isaiah pours out new life whose hearts are so exhausted and tired.  We have run dry from sprinting through life and have enjoyed so very little along the way.  Isaiah says it like this,

"But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings of eagles;
They will run and not be faint" (40:31)

The cry of the human heart, my cry, your cry is we know there is more to life than this!  "We know there is more!"  God is speaking and saying,

"I did not make you to crawl through life on your belly like a snake. 
I did not make you to simply walk or limp your way through life half awake.
I created you to fly by My Spirit. 
I made you to know the depths of My life. 
I designed you to soar the heights of My glory!"