I am all caught up with the thought of “the soul”. Just captured by it if you will.
Allow me…
Last night I was reading from the book, Primal, by Mark Batterson.
In the book, the author uses the following quote.
“All of man’s miseries derive from not being able to sit quietly in a room alone.” Blaise Pascal – 17th century French Philosopher.
I sent that quote to a few friends via text to get their thoughts on it.
This morning I went to breakfast with a new friend in my life, Jim Sheffield. Not really new, but our time spent together is now more intense and that is how I have fun, as odd as that might seem. The more intense the conversation, the more fun I have.
We were discussing this thing called the soul.
Jim, being a pastor, a teacher, a man of thought and with many years of Biblical training, study and application he was building a foundational understanding of the soul for me. He was working me from the past to the present.
However, I do not personally like to work from the past to the present, though I understand it’s purpose and need.
I like to work from the present to the future. Where we have been which led us to where we are is not as exciting to me as where we are, leading us to where we are going. However, I understand that to get to where we are going it is necessary to understand how we got here and where we are going in the future. I acknowledge that.
Since Jim teaches personality traits, gifts and personality shapes we were batting this stuff around as he was weaving a spiritual safety net for me and I can appreciate that. Again, I have fun doing this.
Jim says, “Regarding that quote you sent over last night. I found it interesting in that my side of the family does not sit well. We move.”
I expressed to him that my approach is to spend time in somber, solitude, alone with my thoughts, a book, a verse, a passage and a recalling of conversation with others. Again, not everyone’s form of fun.
In fact, my conversation with Jim brought to memory that recently I had a few extra minutes and wanted to just “be” without all the noise in life drowning out my thoughts. So, I found what seemed to be a quiet place, to just “be” for a moment.
Wouldn’t you know it? A woman comes out of nowhere and begins walking toward me, passes me and continues, but it broke my moment.
I physically moved my location and wouldn’t you know it? Four teenagers pop out of an adjacent neighborhood and begin walking toward me, again, breaking my moment.
I physically move my location again and find a quiet spot. Wouldn’t you know it? A near-by dog begins barking and my moment is removed by the passionate expressions of a canine.
I could not escape the noise, the movement of others and the distractions of life that keep us from getting to know ourselves and our God.
Sometimes we should just be quiet and think.
Again, in the book, Primal, Mark Batterson encourages the reader to not only read the Bible, but to consider, to meditate upon that which one reads. To ask yourself questions regarding what you have read.
He writes it this way and I am taking it straight from the book on page seventy nine.
“Let me put it in neurological terms.
The human brain typically produces beta waves that oscillate between thirteen and twenty-five cycles per second, but when we are in a state of relaxed alertness, the brain produces alpha waves that oscillate between eight to twelve cycles. So what? Well, some truths are only comprehended via contemplation. You quite literally have to get on the right wavelength. If surface knowledge is sufficient, beta waves will suffice. But the only way to get truth into your soul is via alpha waves. You can’t just think with your mind. You have to think with your soul.”
Ahh, the tie in, finally. The soul and the mind.
I leave you with this question.
Why would God give us a brain and a mind with such capacity for knowledge and understanding if we weren’t supposed to use it for Him?
Now wasn’t this fun?
JHH
Leave a Reply