"In simple terms, in our spirits we love, by our soul-emotions and body-actions we express our love. In spirit we are “knowers”. Through soul we express our knowledge by our reasoning faculty. (Peter exemplifies the relationship between those two when he says we give “a reason for the hope that is in us.”) So soul and body are the only precious means by which we—our spirit and God’s Spirit by us—can express ourselves. Spirit in the union is stillness, for the universal is always still. (“Be still and know that I am God.”) This is the still small voice by which God spoke to Elijah. Spirit can be compared to the sea, which is a still source of power. The soul is like the waves which dash about as the expression of that power. The power is in the sea, not in the waves.
"So our danger and problem, till we are awakened to it, is to mistake the surges of the waves (soul-emotions) for the unmoved and still centre (spirit). We get into trouble when we mistake the variable emotions of the soul for our still spirit centre....The Scripture in Hebrews also compares soul and spirit to “the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Intents are our spirit—the fixed purposes of the heart. Thoughts are our soul-varied opinions about the intents."
Norman Grubb
(from A Spirit-Soul Understanding)
Norman Grubb
(from A Spirit-Soul Understanding)
It is such a relief to know we are who we are in our spirit, not what we sometimes feel or think in our soul. We can celebrate the new creation selves God made us to be in our spirit, that's so important. Our soul's feelings, hurts and struggles can be something to be honest about and even share about and maybe work through, but it's such a blessing to always "return to our spirit" where all is well and peaceful and we are new, healed, complete, whole, and not in struggle or pain or sorrow. I love Norman Grubb's description of the soul and spirit as similar to waves and deep sea. The soul thoughts and feelings are like waves dashing against the shore, but the spirit is like the depths of the sea, calm and still and unmoved. I am so glad my spirit is one with His and all is well there. So it's good to know we can focus on spirit, and that we can acknowledge the soul thoughts and feelings from time to time as needed, always remembering our place of rest in our spirit one with His. We can see and admit our feelings and yet remember the spirit reality in the midst of them.
These are just some of the things I've been pondering lately that have really encouraged me...
With love from
These are just some of the things I've been pondering lately that have really encouraged me...
With love from
