“You’re a soul made by God, made for God, and made to need God, which means you were not made to be self-sufficient.”- Dallas Willard
In Chapter 2 (“What is the Soul?”) of Soul Keeping, John Ortberg states that because our inner life is invisible, it is easy to neglect. Unlike our outer self, no one has direct access to our inner life- it wins no applause. As Dallas Willard writes in Renovation of the Heart, our soul is the reason for value and mystery in our existence:
“What is running your life at any given moment is you soul. Not external circumstances, not your thoughts, not your intentions, not even your feelings, but your soul. The soul is that aspect of your whole being that correlates, integrates, and enlivens everything going on in the various dimensions of the self. The soul is the life center of human beings.”
As Pastor Ortberg summarizes, our soul connects our thoughts, sensations, gratitude, and will. The soul sends a message to our entire being. It then follows that it’s terribly important to understand all aspects of our inner life, as each one must be healthy and functioning as God intended in order to run on soul power. Dallas concludes: “Anytime you want to care for something you have to understand it, whether it’s a beagle or a BMW.”
Today’s question: At this point in your desert journey, are you running on soul power? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Our life center”
