“Watch your thoughts, for they become words.
Watch your words, for they become actions.
Watch your actions, for they become habits.
Watch your habits, for they become character.
Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.”
The points so far are that we are a soul with a body, not a body with a soul. The body is just the cloak for the soul. We are also a spirit after the image of God, who is a ‘Spirit’. The human spirit is invisible, but we know it exists because we have seen ghosts. The ghosts are spirits in the shape of the earthly body.
Near Death Experiences have confirmed from reliable sources as Dr. Eben Alexander III, that our intelligence, personality, and memories exist beyond the veil of death, and that we can still think and communicate and recognize those who have died before us outside of this human body.
We have looked at the wonder of the human body and its ability to heal itself, even with many of its parts missing. We are wonderfully made, as the Psalmist David said.
We have looked at the Hebrew and Greek words for soul, and a few scriptures confirming that the separation of man into three parts, body, soul, and spirit.
We all realize that there are ‘hurts’ in our souls that are not connected to any harm being done to our bodies. These ‘soul-hurts’ are very painful and in turn can show up in our bodies. Likewise pain in the body over time, takes its toll on the soul. So, the soul and body are closely interconnected.
I have 3 or 4 pinched nerves in my lower back from an accident on the ice three years ago. I also have some Arthritis in both my hips. I take Meloxicam and Tramadol to help ease the pain. The pain never goes away as it is always an irritation, showing up when I stay in one position for any length of time, so I have to change positions often to keep Rigor Mortis from having the final say. The point is, this pain of the body also grates on my soul via stress.
Remember the Potter taking the clay and smashing it, and then taking that same clay and re-making it into another vessel? (Jeremiah 18:1-4)
I believe that we are souls being shaped for our roles in eternity. We are on a ‘soul-journey’, but not as the Eastern Religions teach. This is a one-time journey from the womb to the grave. Everything that happens to us in between these two events become circumstances putting us back on the Potter’s Wheel, shaping and re-shaping our soul.
Think about all of your experiences. What have been the life-changing ones?
I have had so many. I do believe I change and become a different person every five years or so. The traumatic childhood with eleven different addresses for 12 years of school, and all the suicide talk and attempts of my parents. Those were a couple of big ones. Add the seven school districts, the tornado on the farm, a couple of humiliations from my Dad, and all the strife and arguing and never being able to please Dad for 17 years, and yes, I have had some childhood traumas.
All of these experiences caused pain and hurt and feelings of insecurity, and inadequacy, leaving deep scars on my soul.
I was fortunate in meeting the Mother of my children and in turn becoming involved with her church. Although my belief system is different today from then, the experiences that I had with God changed my life from fear to boldness and from insecurity to conviction and passion about what I have experienced in the ‘spirit world’ as ‘Truth’ and ‘Right’.
To get to where I am now, I had to go through some very hurtful things from my ‘Elders’ in the church, and through some very intense dealings with Malaria, persecution and Witchcraft in Africa. And because of all of these, I dove deeper into seeking God and studying His Word and the inner workings of man emotionally, and mentally. Let’s just say I have read a lot of books, and have had some very intense conversations with my Maker.
All of this brings me back to my point. What was it? Oh, Yeah, my point is we are eternal souls being shaped for our role in eternity. The shaping of the soul is accomplished through our experiences, good and bad. Our actions and reactions to these experiences, good and bad, bring out our character.
Paul said to the Romans that suffering produces endurance and endurance produces character and character produces hope. (Romans 5:3-5)
Dr. Paul Brand worked with Leprosy Patients in India, telling about his experiences in the book, “The Gift of Pain” (Co-Author Philip Yancy)
Lepers can’t feel their toes or fingers, and tend to ram their toes into walls with full force, and hold onto hot pans far too long, doing damage that is beyond repair. They do not feel the rats chewing on their toes while they are sleeping. Dr. Brand came to realize that ‘Pain’ is a ‘Gift’! How else do we know that we are in danger?
The stress of raising a small child is the constant watching to make sure he/she does not burn themselves or shock themselves or cut themselves or any number of things that would bring serious harm. We also know that once they have burned their finger or hand or arm, then they will always and forever be very careful around anything that is hot and dangerous.
All those hurtful, painful, life changing experiences in your life are for the purpose of educating you as to what really counts in this life, and it is not the preservation of the body! It is the forming of the soul into a personality of character that will be comfortable living on the other side of death, in a world of love and harmony with the Prince of Peace.
My children have reaped the ‘Ripple Effect’ of my mistakes. I have reaped the ‘Ripple Effect’ of my Parent’s mistakes. We all reap from our own mistakes. The law of Sowing and Reaping was taught by Jesus in the parable of the four soils. The ‘seed’ only reproduced itself for eternity in the ‘good’ soil. The other soils had a show of reproduction but only lasted as long as the circumstances of life allowed.
Tomorrow I am going to go into the unseen world and its influence upon the souls of man.