SOUL CARE MATTERS - God’s view of Your Soul
In the previous article, we looked at the question: What is soul injury? We attempted to learn the signs and symptoms of injury to the soul and I offered four steps to being the process of correcting and healing. Click here if you want to read Chapter #1.
Be sure to see the “Connection with God” assessment at the end of this chapter.
Chapter #2 — God’s View of Your Soul
(I begin this chapter with a short excerpt from my book, “INHALE, Breathe Deeply | Restore Your Soul”).The British film, CHARIOTS OF FIRE, released in 1981, is based on the true story of two runners training for the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris. The movie tells the story of athlete Eric Liddle, a devout Christian and the son of missionaries to China. When asked why he runs, Eric says, “God made me fast. And when I run, I feel his pleasure.”
Let that thought resonate for a moment. Feeling God’s pleasure is a remarkable standard upon which to base your life.
In which moments of your life do you feel God’s pleasure? Are there times when you sense the warmth of his smile beaming in your direction? Imagine what God sees when he looks at this earth and observes so much darkness. I like to think that in that sea of shadows, my tiny, winking flame can be seen by him and brings him some kind of joy.
Do you ever wonder whether God is pleased with how you live your life? Is he pleased with you when:
You get up each time you’re knocked down?
You serve and help others?
You give of yourself, your talents, and your time?
You do what is right in the face of adversity?
Do you ever wonder how God views your soul? He created it, after all, placed it in you and seeks to restore you again and again. He is the ultimate lover of your soul!
To grasp his view of your soul, consider these three qualities of God.
1 God’s UN-FAILING love
God looks at you differently than you look at yourself. He looks at everything in an alternative manner. His thoughts are not the same as yours.
In the Vision Translation of Isaiah 55:8-9, God says, “My intentions are not always yours, and I do not go about things as you do. My thoughts and my ways are above and beyond you, just as heaven is far from your reach here on earth.”
It is so easy to get embroiled with the worries of this life; we battle feelings of inferiority due to our missteps and we wonder if we matter to God. Try to grasp how different his perspective is to the troubles you face. How helpful it is to stop and consider his universal and massively broad point of view.
Though you are utterly known by him, you are still loved and adored! His love is not reserved for only those who don’t stumble and falter. (Thank goodness for this!) His love is faultless. The God who created your soul loves you, no matter what! When his love dawns in your heart, it leaves you breathless!
My granddaughters and I always try to “out-do” one another in our expressions of love. One of them says, “I love you more than all the trees!” Then I respond with , “I love you more than all the leaves on all the trees”, and she comes back with, “yes, but I love you more than all the veins in all the leaves on all the trees”, and on and on we go. It is a delightful interlude. Even we, as simple humans strive to deeply express our love. Imagine how much greater God’s love is. It is immeasurable, bottomless, and incomprehensible! You can simply decide to accept it (even without understanding it) and believe it because he made you. And in this, you find so much hope and are reminded your soul’s health matters.
2 God’s UN-ERRING sight
God sees it all.
Even in all those dark corners you try to conceal. King David invited God to, “Explore and know the real me”, he asks God to, “Dig deeply and discover who I am. Put me to the test and watch how I handle the strain. Examine me to see if there is an evil bone in me and guide me down your path forever.” (Psalm 139:23-24, Vision Translation)
Wow! What an exhilarating thought!
Or, maybe it flat out scares you to invite such a close scrutiny of your soul. The fact that David wanted this kind of inspection speaks to a deep trust he must have had that God would be gentle with whatever was unearthed. When I feel nervous about asking for God’s assessment of my true soul condition, I turn to a favorite passage in Psalm 103:13 for courage. “God shows his love for those who revere him for he knows what we are made of; he knows our frame is frail and he remembers we came from dust.”
He knows your frame is frail.
He knows you came from dust!
Ahh, to be so deeply understood by the creator of your soul offers a lot of hope. He knows what you are made of, because he made you. Keep remembering that God longs to restore your soul! He sees all of you and remembers you are made from dust. And because of this, he is patient and compassionate as you work through soul injury.
3 God’s UNLIMITED thoughts
Not only does God love you (unfailingly) and see you (unerringly) but he thinks about you. A lot.
Try to grasp the immensity of his devotion to the health of your soul. You are on his mind. The same King David who asked God to dig into the depths of his soul, also praised him, saying, “How precious are your thoughts for me God. How vast the sum of them. Were I to count them they would outnumber the grains of sand.” (Psalm 139:17-18)
Grains of sand. Uncountable. How vast the sum of the thoughts God has for you. Rest in that thought, allow it to soothe any agitation you feel about soul injury. His devotion to you can nudge you forward to find the healing you need.
The amazing concept is that your soul is the part of you that is eternal. God placed eternity in you as the part he wants to dwell with forever. So, how does God look at your soul? Pure love and deep desire to make you whole. Of course, there is no promise that our souls will never be injured in this life, but God offers to help us heal and be restored—so we can be with him for eternity. No matter the struggle you face, no matter the disappointment or injury, God hasn’t forgotten you. His thoughts about you are precious and numerous.
These three truths of how God sees and thinks about you can help you re-set your personal perspective on soul injury. Let them remind you of his devotion to your soul and his desire to restore you.
God loves you unfailingly.
God sees you unerringly.
God’s thoughts about you are unlimited.
To complete a “Connection with God” Assessment, click here.
Watch for Chapter #3 coming next week: “ACCEPTING GRACE INTO MY WOUNDED SOUL”
Soul injury may occur due to a specific trouble, or it can be slow growing, seeping in like a dense fog. It often forces your true self to the background and the “you” that you hold out to others isn’t a true and complete picture.
Learn to see yourself as God sees you, and accept the grace he pours so freely into your life.