Wednesday, September 14, 2005

The Soul

O Brother Jesus
who wept at the death of a friend
and overturned tables in anger at wrong
let me not be frightened by the depths of passion.
Rather let me learn the love and anger
and wild expanses of soul within me
that are true expressions of your grace and wisdom.
And assure me again that in becoming more like you
I come close to my true self
made in the images of outpouring Love
born of the free eternal Wind.

J. Philip Newell

I've always thought of the soul in terms of dungeons and basement rooms. Full of cobwebs and damp, uninhabitable rooms. A space where, with God's help, you carve out room to live and grow.

This morning during prayer I had a picture of the soul more like a huge open expanse.

A place of hills and valleys, streams and forests. A place where God moves into, if we let him. And his presence in the space begins to turn it green and makes it come alive, producing all kinds of fruit.

He might be over in this area creating a shady green valley with a brook running through it. Or he might be over there creating a building structure in which we will house memories of close intimate times.

He may be at work rooting out some nasty weeds or some underbrush that has taken over an area that He wants to turn into a lovely park.

But he's at work, conforming me to the image of his son. Making my spirit look more and more like his, which it was always meant to look like anyway.

It's a most beautiful place. And it's hopeful and alive and full of life because He is there.

And the most amazing part?  He's decided to make his home there, in me.

Wow.

2 comments:

  1. Thanks Randall, for your constant, encouraging reminders of how big God really is. I do love your expressions of life.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Randall, thank you for this - you have an amazing gift with words.

    ReplyDelete



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