Is Your Soul Healthy?

In the Summer 2004 edition of Leadership Journal, writer Mindy Caliguire tells of time she was conducting a seminar with a church ministry team. She asked the assembled leaders: "What tends to emerge in the life of a person who neglects his or her soul? What symptoms creep in?" The responses she got from her question were interesting. Slowly, her fellow leaders began to call out: "Anxiety," "self-absorption," "shame," "apathy," "isolation," "sin looks more appealing," "self-oriented," "loss of vision," and "no desire for God" were just some of the responses she received. Of course, we too could add to this list: "anger," "disillusionment," "luke-warmness," and so on - the list could go on and on.

Thankfully, Mindy asked the opposite question to the gathered leaders. She asked, "What emerges in your life when you are deeply connected to God, when your soul is healthy?" Once again, the answers came quickly, but this time they had a brightness to them and a feeling of excitement: "Love," "joy," "compassion," "grace," "generosity of spirit," "peace," "ability to trust," "creativity," "focus," "balance," "boundlessness," and so on. Now if you had been in that room during this discussion, which would you vote for? "Soul Neglect," or "Soul Health?" Which would it be? Of course, the truth is that we vote for one or the other everyday of our lives. Depending on the day, we either choose to neglect our relationship with God and suffer the consequences, or we can choose to pursue the Lord and reap the benefits of a life that is lived in His awesome and wonderful presence. How healthy is your soul?