Kerry Shook says that we all suffer from a dis-ease of the soul and offers four antidotes:
The Sickness: An over busy life.
The Antidote: Silence. The Bible tells us to "Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10. When was the last time you sat before God in silence? When was the last time you spent an evening at home without the television or stereo filling the sound space? When was the last vacation that you didn't check email or bring your cell phone?
The Sickness: A need to control
The Antidote: Solitude. The Bible says, "In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength." Isaiah 30:15. If we stop trying to control everything in our life, quietness will fill our soul with strength.
The Sickness: Comparing ourselves to others. This causes us to focus on the outside...our appearance and what we have.
The Antidote: Service. When we focus on what others don't have and how we can meet their needs we find true joy and fulfillment.
The Sickness: A craving for comfort and a continual dissatisfaction with what we have.
The Antidote: Suffering. You don't have to go looking for this. Suffering will find you. But the question is; How do you respond to it? The Bible tells us... "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. " James 1:2-4
Silence, Solitude, Service and Suffering - not exactly what people in the 21st century are crying out for. But if your soul is sick you might want to consider the value that each of these have in your life.
No comments:
Post a Comment