How is your soul?
Do you ever feel like you’re going up in smoke—anger over the state of the world fueling a burning fire in your very bones?
Or maybe you feel like an imprint on the sand after failing to jump one of daily life’s endless waves.
Whether it’s the horror of news headlines (I can sometimes witness in real time from the rooftop of our apartment building in Beirut), or the urgent concerns that crop up (under my own ceiling), I know where to go.
Again and again I take Jesus up on his invitation:
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
(Matthew 11:28-29 ESV)
The very thought of someone who can contain my very self1 is a respite like no other.
We can sit down in our own souls and meet God right where we are.
Exhale.
Trust.
Learn.
Get strength and wisdom to know how to fight and how to carry on.
But if we are really serious about living from a place of rest and peace, there’s something even more important than coming to Jesus…
More on that next time.
In the meantime, may you find rest for your soul
Alicia
These words were originally written in Greek and the word soul is translated from psyche —which in the context of scripture refers to the whole person (life, self, inner being) rather than an entity separate from the body and who we are.