Loss grabs us all. It is universal and breaks into all our lives at some time, or some place. Although loss and the accompanying dynamic of grief strikes us all, it is not the same for each person. Bereavement, injury, and untold damage, is not for everyone. It is unique, personal, and consider it a solitary experience. We are left on our own. The California fires bring this home.
There is no way to explain suffering to a person while one enjoys comfort and the other is without a roof and uncertain where to go. Sure, we can try and identify or share a similar experience and nod our heads as if we know. But we don’t know. What life was like before the fires and what life is like now, is simply a different ballgame, with different rules, and under different management. You see, with fires out of control, life is out of control.
This is not about wallowing, or a pity-party, or all the other ways when the going gets tough. You know the rest of the cliché. Yet, when broken by loss, we do not get going. We struggle to open our eyes much less, face what is before us. Put it this way, it is hard to get out of bed. It is not about moving forward. It is more about being stuck.
As a result of profound loss, another way of speaking into the midst of brokenness, is not about what to do. Rather, it is about what to be. Granted, I am a minister and a person of faith. What I write next has been the most important aspect of my life—especially when experiencing my own suffering and pain—and whether or not it resonates, is in the hands of the reader.
The soul is the most prominent feature of a human being. Granted, most people think about the soul as something they will take with them when they die. I have found just the opposite to be true. Life is about becoming a living soul.
Consider the soul as the gateway through which all attributes and characteristics of our life relate to God. The mind, heart and will, often are considered inner parts and the unseen, spiritual side of who we are, while our bodies and social relationships appear as external dimension of life. Yet all parts of our human existence enter and exit through the soul. The soul is the greatest value of a human being. In fact, Jesus says, “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:36 KJV)
One more verse from the Bible. From the beginning of creation, what distinguishes the human being is, “God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” (Genesis 2:7 KJV) When suffering, it takes tremendous courage to live and the breath of life from God provides the soul with grace, purpose, and meaning.
Withdrawing from people and pulling down the shades and turning off the lights is not the answer. It only diminishes the soul. Refusing to live or to love or eat again, leads to the death of the soul. Suffering is not about denying life. Rather it is about stretching the soul.
Brokenness forces us to figure out what to do next, where to go, and how to live again. It is overwhelming. Such a time, however, is not to rely on the mind, heart or will as important as these elements are to life. Nor should we expect our bodies and social relationships to carry us through the pain. This is the time to hunker down and recognize the image of God within the soul as the source of life and love. If we are alive, there is a purpose for life.
A purpose from within the soul leaves us no longer out of control, but under God’s control, as the fires of suffering simmer and we enter a new day and a new life.
1 thought on “On Becoming a Living Soul”
thank you Robin. immediate and thought provoking as usual