Evangelize To Me: Psalms of the Soul

Popular culture is very involved in fixing, supporting and feeding the ‘self’. These best selling books target the ‘outer person’- behavior, appearance, conduct and habits.

I agree that reading can be very helpful. But I don't think these selections offer the way to total happiness or lasting change. Problems with what I look like or what I do are really symptoms, not the actual disease.

For example, I need to exercise more. I should lose some weight too. There are plenty of books waiting to tell me how to reach these goals. But if I only look at removing the symptoms of fitness or weight, the disease itself will not be treated. The weight will return, I’ll stop exercising. I’ll be right back where I started.

I need to address the real problem. There is a disconnect between my goal and my will. And I am creating too much noise to be able to hear the truth.

I'll argue with myself about my habits. “Can I skip exercise today? Have a snack?” Hmm… "Sure! Why not?" I’ll come up with all kinds of reasons why that’s ok. Filled with the noise of my own ideas, I completely drown out the voice of reason.

The healing truth is in my soul. No amount of arguing, research, or bribery can change the eternal wisdom that lives inside of me. My soul speaks only the truth. It cannot lie because it is the throne of grace and wisdom.

God waits to speak through my soul. Am I willing to hear him? I’ll have to drop the lawyer gig, and stop defending my willfulness. Turning down the volume, I will hear the little psalms of love, calling out from my deepest, inmost self.

And the songs are always about love. Loving myself, I won’t fill my body with food I don’t need. I won’t try to squirm away from exercise because that’s what keeps me healthy and alert. The voice of love shows me that neglecting myself is not debatable. I am to love myself, and love my Father as I love myself. And I want to love him well.

It’s not just hearts that ache when they are ignored. If I reject my soul’s truth, I will ache there too. The soul vents its pain by spilling over into overindulgence, disrespecting others, even ignoring God. Books about make-up and cheerleading won't repair that.

Repair the rift inside, and then there's hope. The outward symptoms will evaporate if the break between my will and my goal is healed. It all starts in my inmost self.

Unless I am in touch with my inner songs, all the ‘fix-it’ books in the world won’t help. But if I know what God wants (and it’s always love), then nothing should stop me from living in that love, which clarifies and illuminates my path.

A little less noise. A little more silence. And the songs of the soul will well up, healing me in its music.

Linking today with: Wednesday's Prayer Girls