There’s a tale I’d like to share with you that speaks so well to our topic.
An archaeologist, a Westerner with a first world, 21st century mindset, was traveling with native African tribesmen. He hired them to guide him to a dig site deep within the jungle and then to guide him back to the station when his work was complete.
The group made rapid progress on their trip to the site covering much distance. Work at the site was busy and productive. Many of the archaeologist’s goals were achieved.
Before he knew it, it was time for the return trip to the station. For two days, he stewed and fretted over the slow pace of his guides. He became fearful that they would not reach the station in time.
On the third day, with great resolve, he pushed his guides to go faster. As a result, they covered twice the amount of ground they had the day before. The pushing seemed to work, and he was hopeful.
On day four however, after walking an hour or so, the tribesmen came to a halt, sat down right where they were, and insisted they would go no further. At first the archaeologist was a bit perplexed. Then he grew impatient and then angry. But no matter how much he coaxed; the tribesmen would not go any further. Frustrated he implored, “What’s wrong? Why aren’t we moving?”
To which the tribesmen replied, “We cannot go any further today. We went so quickly yesterday that we must wait here for our souls to catch up with us.”
Fulfilling Our Role
Here’s the thing. We’ve spent the last two weeks examining our role and the challenges we face. But the fact is that none of that matters if our soul is hurried.
What do I mean by hurry?
One of the most helpful explanations I’ve come across was a tidbit I read by Dallas Willard, who said,
“There is a world of difference between being busy and being hurried.”
Busyness is an outward condition. It occurs when we have many things to do. By itself, busyness is not lethal.
On the other hand,
Hurry is an inner condition, a condition of the soul. It means to be so preoccupied with myself and my life that I am unable to be fully present with God, or with others.
“Busyness migrates to hurry when we let it squeeze God out of our lives.”
Dallas Willard
Hurry, then, is a problem of the soul.
If we are going to grandparent by God’s design, a healthy soul – one that is NOT hurried – is required!
Soul Basics
If we’re going to talk about a healthy, unhurried soul, we first need to understand something about our soul. For the sake of time, we won’t do a deep dive into the soul. However, we will highlight a few essentials that we often lose sight of.
- We all have a soul.
- The one we have is the only one we will ever have. It is not replaceable.
- It is what we will take into eternity.
Considering these facts, we might now find ourselves asking why the soul is so often left unattended.
The world around us provides some explanation for our inattentiveness. Current culture certainly isn’t teaching us to pay attention to the spiritual part of our being. In fact, much of the focus in our culture is on the physical and mental aspects of our being – with much of the emphasis being placed on care for self.
Another reason for inattentiveness can be attributed to the residence of our soul. Residing in our inner life, the soul is invisible which makes it easy to neglect. No other person can see it or has direct access to it. Our soul wins no outward applause. Conversely, our outer life is synonymous with reputation and appearance. It is visible and obvious. The outer life is what other people see and informs their thinking. Therefore, we are prone to giving it our utmost attention.
Here’s the thing. The fact that our soul resides deep within us where no one else has access means that the care of our soul is up to us. It is, in fact, our ultimate concern and, therefore, a huge responsibility.
Caring for Our Soul
The care of our soul is our individual responsibility. And we know that anytime we are going to care for something we must have some understanding of it, whether it’s a poodle or a silver tea set. So, it makes sense that to care for our soul, we must know a bit about it.
A study of the soul will take some time, for there is much to know. But one of the most important things for us to know is that our soul is needy. Consider with me that one of God’s attributes is that He is boundless (infinite). We, on the other hand, are not. Biola University associate professor, Kent Dunnington, puts it this way, “We [humans] are limited in every way but one; we have unlimited desire.” He goes on to explain that the soul’s infinite capacity to desire is the mirror image of God’s infinite capacity to give. Isn’t that just like God? To create our soul and to weave NEED into its very nature.
THE SOUL’S DEEPEST NEED
Our soul needs many things. For example, it needs blessing, freedom, a center, satisfaction, a keeper. But its deepest need is to be with God.
O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you. Psalm 63:1a
My soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Psalm 143:6
My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord. Psalm 84:2
In fact, our soul’s need for being with God is echoed throughout the pages of His Word (Psalm 33:20, 25:1, 103:1-2, 103:22, 63:8, 62:1).
THE SOUL’S KEEPER
Let’s sum up what we now know. Our soul is needy. Its deepest need is to be with God. We are its keeper.
It simply cannot be overstated. The care of our soul is up to each of us. No one else can do it for us. We alone are responsible.
So how do we go about this “keeping” work?
First, we must be proactive. There are no audible warning signals, the visible signs can be very subtle. Before we know it, we are running on empty.
Think of it like an automobile that runs on fuel (except that a car comes with a gas gauge). I don’t know about you, but personally, I begin looking for a gas station when the needle on my car hits a quarter of a tank. I do not like it in the least when the needle passes that mark. And, oh, to have it hovering around the empty mark! So much more, it should be with our soul.
Second, we must do the work of filling. We simply cannot wait for warning signals. We must intentionally put things in place to see that our tank is filled. Allow me to be very clear. We cannot fill or heal our soul. Filling and healing are God’s work (Psalm 23:1-3). Our work is to make space for the filling and healing to be done.
JESUS’ EXAMPLE
Jesus lived a life of un-hurry! The care of our soul begins by looking to Him and following His example. When we examine His earthly life, we see that He engaged in certain practices that made space for God’s soul work.
- He prayed.
- He had a circle of close friends.
- He participated in corporate worship.
- He fed His mind with Scripture.
- He enjoyed God’s creation.
- He took long walks.
- He welcomed little children.
- He even enjoyed hanging out with non-religious types.
These “practices” have broadly become known as Spiritual Disciplines.
SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES
A Spiritual Discipline is anything that is intentionally done with the purpose of helping us become open to and remain open to the ongoing work of God in our life. It’s such things as (but not limited to) Bible intake, prayer, gratitude, silence, solitude, and fasting.
Just as they did for Jesus, Spiritual Disciplines set us up for encounters with God. They slow us down and help to quiet our soul. They help us pull away from our day, lean in, and spend time with God. They help us be open to His tremendous power and unfathomable love.
GOD-WIRING
One way to make space for “fill ups” is through consistent time spent in the Spiritual Disciplines. But there is another very helpful way to live a life of un-hurry and care for your soul.
Look back on Jesus’ Example. Notice again some of the ways Jesus slowed down and made space for time with God. He enjoyed God’s creation. He took long walks. He welcomed little children. He even enjoyed hanging out with non-religious types.
We would do well to remember that each of us is created uniquely by the Master Creator. No two of us were wired exactly alike. One way we can take steps in caring for our soul is to take the time to discover our unique God-wiring. And then to spend time with God in ways that incorporate our wiring.
Assessing Your Soul’s Health
The requirement for biblical grandparenting is a filled-up and healthy soul.
Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children’s children—
Deuteronomy 4:9
Today, spend some time in focus on your invisible and often overlooked inner life. There is no gauge. You must be proactive. You are the keeper.
Search your soul. Does it show signs of soul hurry? Ask your loving Heavenly Father if there is any need for confession. Regularly follow the example of Jesus by engaging in the Spiritual Disciplines as a means for connecting with God. Discover your God-wiring and begin using it as a means for connecting with Him. Take responsibility for the condition of your soul and commit to soul health – for you and the generations of your family.
