“... there ’ s a difference between a soul being saved and a soul being well .”
Here ’ s what I ’ ve discovered : We assume that the soul is well , as the beloved hymn confirms , because we are saved . But there ’ s a difference between a soul being saved and a soul being well .
For people like me who grew up in church , souls are either lost or found , saved or unsaved . Nothing more to talk about . The deal ’ s been done . Our souls are set .
As a result , we have no imagination for the well-being of the soul , no rationale for the care of the soul , no language for what the symptoms of a soul that ’ s unwell might be . And because of that , millions of devoted followers of Jesus are suffering on the inside . While suffering is a part of the human condition this side of eternity , the inner devastation doesn ’ t have to be . We can learn to keep our souls well tended in the midst of any and all circumstances .
Your soul is not simply an inner state of being with a binary status . Saved or unsaved . Lost or found . Heaven-bound or not . Far too many people who are devoted to God , who have been saved by God , are experiencing anything but that lush interior world . They don ’ t just have souls that are parched — their souls feel like they ’ re burning to the ground .
We ’ re discouraged when we hear the news of people we love and respect suddenly failing , their lives going up in flames . How could they do that ? we wonder . A momentary lapse in judgment ? A one-off mistake ? How could someone give up so much for what seems like so little ?
“... there ’ s a difference between a soul being saved and a soul being well .”
The reality is that , for many , the landscape of their life was primed for disaster . Perhaps under ordinary circumstances , a small flame wouldn ’ t have caused such destruction . Maybe they encountered something they could have said no to , or walked away from , or told the truth about . But when a person ’ s soul is in a state of unhealth and dis-ease , a lot of dead things start building up ; it can be enough kindling to fuel an incredible amount of destruction .
Maybe you recognize the feeling . The death of a dream . The feeling that God has abandoned you . Failure . The loneliness of leadership . Feeling trapped in a career path . Burnout at work . A sense that your faith is faltering . Strains on relationships . Anxiety over the future .
Even success can create piles of tinder in a soul .
A dry soul creates a thirst we cannot seem
11