Thought for Today
Ezekiel 31:4 The waters nourished it, the deep made it grow tall, making its rivers flow around the place it was planted, sending forth its streams to all the trees of the field.
Isaiah 44:14 He cuts down cedars or chooses a holm tree or an oak and lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest. He plants a cedar and the rain nourishes it.
Ephesians 5:29 For no one ever hates his own body, but he nourishes and tenderly cares for it, just as Christ does for the church,
1 Timothy 4:6 If you put these instructions before the brothers and sisters, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound teaching that you have followed.
What nourishes your soul? What nurtures your spirit? Even if you are not a gardener, even if you live and work in a concrete jungle, you have some awareness of the fact that flora and fauna require nourishment and nurturing. Do you think that somehow, in some magic and mystical way, humans have escaped or are above such needs? Maybe you have not ever even considered the question.
Scientists cannot capture or define concepts like soul or spirit. “The 21 grams experiment refers to a study published in 1907 by Duncan MacDougall, a physician from Haverhill, Massachusetts. MacDougall hypothesized that souls have physical weight, and attempted to measure the mass lost by a human when the soul departed the body. MacDougall attempted to measure the mass change of six patients at the moment of death. One of the six subjects lost three-quarters of an ounce (21.3 grams).” (en.wikipedia.org) That experiment is not widely accepted in the scientific community for many, legitimate reasons. But, the idea of our souls having some measurable, physical presence is intriguing. For me, the first question it poses is, ‘do all souls weigh the same?’ George Orwell wrote in Animal Farm, “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others,” a proclamation by the pigs who control the government in that novel. Is the same true of souls? Are all souls equal, but some souls are more equal than others?
We are not all the same. People exist in an almost (?) infinite variety of sizes, shapes and natures. Some people seem to merely exist; other people seem to live vibrant, full lives. Are their souls ‘more equal?’
I believe we all have souls. I have no idea whether or not our souls have weight. While interesting, I do not think the idea is germane to our concerns as Christians. But, I do believe that some of us reflect Jesus’ own words about his purpose, “John 10:10 I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” Some of us have souls which have been nourished and nurtured, souls that throughout our lives have grown and flourished.
What nourishes your soul? What nurtures your spirit? Why do some merely exist and others thrive? Hint: I am an unabashed, outspoken Christian; I am a minister. I believe it is our contact with Jesus, our realization of the gospel message and our incorporation of that message into our lives.
Something happened to Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus. Whether you understand the story as metaphor or as factual history, Saul the persecutor became Paul the apostle. He went from ‘hitman for the establishment’ to the missionary of the gospel to Europe and beyond.
That same sort of life-changing, life-affirming transformation is offered to each and every one of God’s children. It is offered to Christians through our own, individual encounter with Jesus. That encounter ultimately nourishes and nurtures our souls. Just as a gardener waters, feeds, prunes and tends his plants, the gospel does the same for our souls. I wonder whether it makes our souls gain weight? Ancient Egyptian pharaohs’ souls were measured by being weighed on a scale against the weight of a feather. Just as a precaution, I plan to do whatever I can to make my own soul gain weight.
“Matthew 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” “James 2:18 Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith.”
Stay safe, nourish your soul, trust God,
Pastor Ray