“I like you; your eyes are full of language.” ― Anne Sexton
We often hear the quote, “The eyes are the window to the soul.” Although I would attest to its truth, it is not found in the Biblical Proverbs like many believe. We all know we can fake a smile, but for those who know how to truly see us, our eyes will always tell the truth about the inner condition of our soul.
We do find reference to this idea in Matthew 6:21-23, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.The eye is the lamp of the body. If your vision is clear, your whole body will be full of light. But if your vision is poor, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!”
It is common in our Christian vernacular to intertwine the idea of soul and spirit. But, I wonder how many of us have studied the Biblical origin of each word to truly grasp their differences.
We know that our spirit man comes alive when we are born again. When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, it was a spiritual death that they incurred. We now need our spirits to be re-birthed in order to be brought into a right relationship with the Father. This is of utmost importance. This is what it means to be transferred from darkness into light. The spiritual death sentence that we inherited from our original parents is overturned through faith in the resurrected Savior – Jesus.
But we also know that people, born on this earth and created in the image of God, have a soul. The Hebrew word for soul is nephesh. It describes one who has the breath of physical life within them, and is distinct in their personality with passions, appetite, and emotions.
Much of what we do in our Christian activities feeds our spirits. Please do not mistake what I am about to say – this is vital ministry in our church cultures. But I believe there are many out there whose souls are thirsty and malnourished.
It is within the depth of our soul that Holy Spirit brings about restoration. “He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul (nephesh)…” Psalm 23:2-3.
I am going to say something that I believe to be basic Christianity but seems radical in some of our denominational circles today – Being a Christian should make you more human, not less.
Why do I say that? Because a restored soul is a truly authentic soul. But for many of us, we have been taught that the suppression of our souls is spiritual discipline. Buddhism teaches that what brings pain into our lives is our need to cling to our emotional responses and that we must suppress our emotions in order to gain an enlightened state.
Jesus on the other hand redeems our lives. He buys us back from what has held us captive. This includes our passions, appetites, and emotions. Where we have been fragmented in our souls by sin, he offers wholeness. If we allow him, over the course of our lives, he will bring an integration into our whole being that sets us free to live abundantly – spiritually, physically, intellectually, and emotionally.
Every generation has its mantra. If we choose to listen, we can gain clues as to what the true need is in their day.
The buzz word today seems to be authenticity…but what I truly hear them say is, “I want to be whole.”
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