“Exiled aspects of your soul are like the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son: they’re alone within your soul yet worthy of being sought after and found.”- Alison Cook and Kimberly Miller
“Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?”- Luke 15:4 (NIV)
As Alison Cook and Kimberly Miller conclude Chapter 4 of Boundaries for Your Soul, they stress one important skill to develop. This helpful skill involves speaking on behalf of a part, rather than from it. Hence, the authors sequence the effects of speaking on behalf of. Speaking on behalf of:
- reminds you that this part of your soul doesn’t own the whole story.
- brings the part into contact with the Holy Spirit before you express your feelings.
- allows you to speak respectfully to others.
- increases the likelihood that people truly hear and understand you.
- elicits trust between you and God, as well as between you and other people.
When Jesus walked the earth, Alison and Kim note, He focused on things people lost or misplaced. In fact, Luke 15 records three parables about the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son. Similarly, your soul’s exiled aspects live alone within your soul. Yet, they’re worthy of being sought after and found.
In conclusion, the authors exhort:
“You pray for others and for God’s guidance. Would you extend the same compassion to an injured or straying part of your own soul? Jesus loves lost sheep, and he loves the lost parts of you. You can join with him in finding the lost parts of your soul and bringing them home at last.”
Today’s question: How do you compare the exiled aspects of your soul to lost sheep? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “This critical person – in your own head?”
