Of course, it is not a thing, that is obvious.
Then, what is it?
This writing will in no way answer that question.
If anything, this will hopefully generate more questions.
Early, early this morning I was walking the dogs in our backyard. For some reason this thought popped in my head, “What distinguishes me from Blue, J. and Oreo? That would be our three dogs. I pondered this for a moment as Blue was deciding which spot would be appropriate.
The thought occurred to me that one of the main differences, outside of the ability to speak, even though I have heard dogs make noises which were understood and have heard that in some circles, people bark like dogs, that it might be the inhabiting of the soul.
But anyway…
So then, for the rest of the morning I began to meditate on this…this…this…I do not know what to call it nor identify where it is.
The soul.
I am a pretty well read guy and I have been taught in church since birth, but I am at a loss at to how I missed at least doing some type of study on the soul through the years and at fifty three years old with forty eight of those years as a Christian, how ignorant I am of this subject.
So, I began texting friends, both male and female, learned people, some of the cloth and the answers I received left me more in question than before. Not that it did exist, but rather, how to identify what is was or where it resided. They seemed to know more than I, but not a whole lot more regarding the soul.
Granted I have not on this day, exhausted the scriptures, not even close regarding this subject.
I do know that the word “soul” appears 276 times in 263 verses in the New American Standard version of the Bible.
Some souls longed for each other, some souls were anguished, full of joy, were comforted, were stirred, all types of descriptions from the Holy Writ.
In the fourth and sixth chapter of Deuteronomy it says in one place to love God with all your soul and another to seek God with all your soul.
If the soul is so important, which I believe it is, why in the world is it so difficult for Christians to identify what it is and what it is intended to do and what action it is to perform?
So, for at the least tonight I will ponder this question.
“What is the soul and what are we to do with it?”
JHH
Leave a Reply