Facing Your Soul with Confidence

 If it were possible to face your soul, what would you see? Carl Jung, the Swiss psychologist, observed, "People will do anything, no matter how absurd, to avoid facing their soul." Jesus stressed the importance of the soul by asking, "What good is it for a person to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?"

Jesus warned against becoming so preoccupied with things that the soul is neglected or abused. Think of the soul as being the conduit through which God communicates with us. To love God with all your heart and soul, strength and mind conjoins you to him so completely that you become one with him in spirit.

John Steinbeck wrote in The Grapes of Wrath, "A fella ain't got a soul of his own, but only a piece of a bigger one." If your soul has been abused or neglected, it can be restored. Committing to loving God with all your soul insures its restoration. So praise God for that opportunity.                        

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This is what the Lord says: “Stop at the crossroads and look around. Ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it. Travel its path, and you will find rest for your soul.”

~Jeremiah 6:16 New Living Translation

                  

Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

~Psalm 103:1 New International Version

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Managing Mistakes - Part 2

Our society has varying requirements for achieving success in a career. One motivation that drives people to strive for success is personal recognition and acceptance by peers and family. Singer/song writer John Denver's success gave him the means to exploit flying, which made him feel acceptable to his father, an Air Force test pilot.

In the drive to succeed it's almost impossible to avoid becoming self-absorbed, which requires staying singularly focused to limit distractions such as the family or an active spiritual life. For the self-absorbed, other important facets of life will have to be partially ignored.

Self-absorption overlooks giving others the essentials for making their lives successful. To change from being self-absorbed to other-centered requires analyzing your attitude about why to be successful. Jesus asked you, "What good will it be to gain the whole world and forfeit your soul?" This could include your family or your physical and spiritual well-being. You can make better choices.  

Treasure Hunting - Part 1

As I was having lunch, it was easy to hear the conversation next to me because the tables were close together. One man asked another, "What really matters to you?" He was challenging this person to face whatever had pushed him into becoming so self-absorbed that he was immune to what was eternal. Did the man care for anything other than himself?

Self-deception evolves into self-absorption, which is the ultimate in self-betrayal, because it leads to impoverishment of the self and soul. To betray oneself is to become so obsessed with laying up treasures here on earth, there is no time or energy to care for your own soul or the souls of others who love and care for you.

Productive change means altering your attitude about what's important. Jesus questions each of us. "What reward is there in winning the world only to lose your soul?" A better way is to turn from self-absorption and begin laying up treasures in heaven, which means to care for the souls of others. Jesus helps you reach this objective as it becomes your commitment.