“Our freedom is, in fact, proportionate to the love and childlike trust we have for our heavenly Father.”
Jacques Philippe
Why is it the most important part of our being, the soul, the very thing that goes with us into eternity is often the least cared for? Why do we spend lots of money, time, and attention on those things that we can’t take with us to our eternal home, like our bodies, possessions, fame, and power? Billions of dollars are spent each year on gym memberships, fitness equipment, and vitamins and supplements. Yet, we can’t take our physical appearance with us when we cross over into eternity.
“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16, italics mine). It’s the interior life that graces us to continue to live despite our body’s deterioration. As we age and our bodies begin to weaken, it makes sense that we become discouraged and “lose heart.” But it doesn’t have to be that way if our inner selves are being restored.
Soul care, focusing our time and attention on possessing interior freedom needs to be a priority. If we take care of our souls, then even when our bodies fall apart as we age, even when we lose our jobs or even worse, a loved one, we won’t become weary from fear or loss.
We’re encouraged by 1 Timothy 4:8 to train ourselves to be godly. “For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” Paul continues writing: “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it” (1 Timothy 6:6-7).
Author Jacques Philippe writes in Searching for and Maintaining Peace, “The more our soul is peaceful and tranquil, the more God is reflected in it, the more His image expresses itself in us, the more His grace acts through us.”
Pay attention to your soul and what’s going on inside of you. Your interior freedom is more important on earth and when you arrive in heaven than your body is. Choose to make the care of your soul a priority, for that is what you will take with you to your eternal home.
“True freedom is not so much something man wins for himself; it is a free gift from God, a fruit of the Holy Spirit, received in the measure in which we place ourselves in a relationship of loving dependence on our Creator and Savior.”
Jacques Philippe
Relevant Reflection:
How much time and attention do you give to stewarding your soul and interior freedom?
Image by Pulkit Pithva from Pixabay