“Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both body and soul in hell.”- Matthew 10:28
As John Ortberg concludes Chapter 7 of Soul Keeping, he tells of the time he was pulling out of a parking space in a crowded lot. Driving his old, dinged-up Honda, he got too close to the Ferrari parked near him, putting an imperceptible scratch on the expensive Italian auto.
Eventually, the Ferrari owner decided, rather that restoring his car to perfection, that he simply would buy an new one. Pastor Ortberg astutely observes that we live in a world that teaches us to be more concerned with the condition of our material possessions than with the condition of our souls. John explains:
“Maybe because a dent in a soul is more easily concealed than a dented car. Maybe because a dented soul is harder to fix. After a while, the dents pile up, and they stop bothering us. We hardly notice. One more dent isn’t going to make much difference.”
The essence of Jesus’ warning, Pastor Ortberg states, is that we need to protect and guard our soul- to make room in our lives to care for our soul. As Dallas Willard once told John: “Arrange your days so that you experience total contentment, joy, and confidence in your everyday life with God.”
Today’s question: What experiences during or following your vocation loss led to a dented soul? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: The sinkhole syndrome”
