The Filter – Part 3

Greetings Dear Reader,

Whilst it is fairly easy to define what the heart is, and even easier to define the mind, explaining the soul has always been a challenge to me. Most of the definitions I have read lack the descriptive artistry that I think is necessary in understanding the soul of man. I still need, however, a launch point for pondering this part of the great command. If I am to strive to love God with all my Soul, then I must know what part of me that is. Here are few attempts at defining what we call the soul:

1. The principle of life, feeling, thought, and action in humans, regarded as a distinct entity separate from the body, and commonly held to be separable in existence from the body; the spiritual part of humans as distinct from the physical part.
2. The spiritual part of humans regarded in its moral aspect, or as believed to survive death and be subject to happiness or misery in a life to come: arguing the immortality of the soul.
3. The disembodied spirit of a deceased person.
4. The emotional part of human nature; the seat of the feelings or sentiments.
5. A human being; person.
6. High-mindedness; noble warmth of feeling, spirit or courage, etc.
7. The animating principle; the essential element or part of something.
8. The inspirer or moving spirit of some action, movement, etc.
9. The embodiment of some quality: He was the very soul of tact.
10. Deeply felt emotion, as conveyed or expressed by a performer or artist.

Once again I feel in some aspect all of these things are involved in loving God with all of our being. If the soul is the “principle of life, feeling, and thought,” then it must be the principle part of our love of God. Something so essential to our existence must be turned over to the soul task of devotion to God and all he is to me. If this is the immortal part of man, then it must be that which has following Christ and his devotion to the Father as a moment by moment task.

If my soul has any hope of obeying this command then my passions, emotions, and sentiments must be mastered and tasked to the singular goal of loving God. Doing this would preclude holding sentiments that shut out others, judge them, reject them, or see them as any less deserving of that same abject passion. If I reject anyone based on my feelings toward them then I have not mastered my soul in striving to love them as God loves them. I cannot wish anyone away or dismiss their right to my Christ centered love to the degree that I would wish others to love me and still claim to be pursuing the love of God with all my soul.

I also see that I neglect my soul in some areas of my artistic expression. It is God who gifts me with artistry and when I do not practice it with fervor to love God through it I am neglect a part of my soul that only God gives. If I write, teach, sing, play music, or use any other gift God has imbued into my creation, I must do it with a passion toward expressing my love of God. That does not mean that all I do must be in the theme of faith (look for a coming rant to prove just this). It does mean that every artistic act must also be an act of love toward God. This will inform my artistry in that I must govern the spirit of what I do. Expression of emotions is always fair ground with God. I must assure that I keep it holy ground as well.

What I see again is that there are no secular issues regarding the soul. All that I feel must be filtered through my love of God and the expression of those feelings must represent his love for all he has created. If I am to love God with all my soul I must convey that love in all that I feel. I must express love, joy, anger, frustration and any other emotion with regard to my love for God. It would be easy to rationalize this into something that allows me to hate in any way. I am a master at thinking my way to what I want. So I must move on to the mind…tomorrow.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a home owner. He brings new and old things out of his treasure store."