The Greatest Commandment: Soul

Water. Covered. Everything.

Well, every inch of the floor. My feet were completely submerged in an ocean of water…gushing from our busted water heater.

Unfortunately, we didn’t realize the problem until 12 hours into the constant cascade of water onto the basement tile and carpet.

Although a flooded basement is par for the course for most homeowners, that didn’t stop all the emotions from rushing in – panic, confusion, frustration, anger, defeat. Mostly in that order, too. After a (very) long 48 hours later, the water heater has been replaced, the matting under the carpet tossed, and the carpet aired out. But how is my soul doing?

Did I really love the Lord my God with all my soul through that chaotic circumstance?

This is the third post in my series, The Greatest Commandment, where Jesus talks about loving the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind and strength.

Today I want to talk about our souls.

 

What does it mean to love the Lord your God with all your soul?

I’m no theologian or philosopher, but I feel like we first have to define what our souls are. To me, a soul is of spirit-material. It’s otherworldly. It is where my heart, mind and body connect. It’s often unexplainable. But when I’m doing something with my whole soul, I know it.

I can tell you right now I was NOT vacuuming up that water with all my soul.

Loving God with our whole soul requires us to lay aside our initial thoughts and gut reactions and ask the Lord to search our souls. And fill them up with Him.

I yelled out in anger after realizing a paper from my daughter’s baby book was standing in inches of water…I reacted with my whole self – mind, body, heart, spirit. But that soul-reaction was rage. Not love.

I knew in that moment my soul wasn’t aligning with the love of God.

So later, when my daughter came to me (for the fourteenth time at 11:30 p.m. with her fourteenth excuse not to be in bed, after we’d been attempting to save the basement floor for hours and hours), my soul knew that her soul was just as exhausted as mine.

And instead I reacted in love.

I sure don’t know how to love God perfectly with my soul. But I do know that when we make God-loving choices with our minds, led by our hearts, and carry them out physically, God connects our spirit with His in an otherworldly, unexplainable way.

God, reach out and touch our souls today. Connect our spirit with Yours. Let us experience your grace in a new way that reminds us to love You with all our souls. 

Amen.

 

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