The Power To Rise

Sunday, Chris taught us the Hebrew term "nephesh" and how we translate it to "soul" in English, then transform its meaning to a mystical, shapeless, mist where God resides inside of us, then takes it away to heaven when we die. He explained to us that the literal translation of this word is not that we have a soul, but we are a soul. Our entire being is a home for the Spirit of God to set up His headquarters and begin the transformation process. Since Sunday, I just keep envisioning God in the garden, with this perfect specimen of humanity, lying limp and lifeless until he breathed "nephesh" into him and am reminded how it is what is within us that makes us His image. A great reminder in a culture where we put so much emphasis on what people will see on the outside. 

Have you ever seen a potter throw a lump of wet clay on her wheel and watched it become a vessel as she forms a hollowness inside?  Or a glass blower who takes molten sand and breathes into it an empty place so it can become a lovely vase? No two are exactly alike. All have a void designed to hold something, but each cavity is different. The power to be what we were meant to be comes from inside. Consider the hot air balloon. As beautiful as they appear, they are nothing but a lot of fabric without the air that is breathed into them.

What a beautiful reminder that God has breathed into us an empty space that only He can truly fill. It is who we are from day one. We need the power of His spirit within that space to function as we were intended. Our family, our culture, our environment works to shape us by filling the God-breathed vessel within us with what they think is best, but there is something deep inside us that still feels unfulfilled. We spend much of our lives trying to be like someone we admire or respect or is successful and lose sight of the person we were intended to be. And emptiness plagues us.

That emptiness, that pain, that longing has a great and Divine purpose. "That thing that we daily battle is the suffering brought on by our separation from God and when His grace meets our suffering - that is where transformation begins" (Russ Hudson). This message resonated so much with me! It is the reason I have chosen to be an Enneagram Coach and dedicate my life to finding my truest self and helping others to do the same. I have a burning desire to guide others to the life God breathed into them and live that life in all its fullness. That is the way that I can best minister to families, create healthier homes with children that will grow to become game changers in our communities.

Think about who you truly are in the deepest place. Think about your children and how you are guiding them to fill the "nephesh" that God breathed into them. Think about your spouse and their deepest needs and longings. Pray for God to illuminate your mind and heart to see your true soul, through His eyes. That's a lot of thinking and praying, but it can lead to a freedom to live your real life and help those you love live theirs.