One way we can know that we are guided by the Spirit’s wisdom in the last years of our lives is when we can look at the evil and pain in the world around us which even touches our own lives and declare that this is not all there is. We have hope–confident expectation– of eternity because of Jesus.

I grew up with the foolish belief that I cannot be accepted until I am perfect. This foolishness was shaped by those around me, of course, but I was the one demanding it of myself and testing it by looking to others as my mirror: “Am I perfect enough to be accepted? Do I belong?”

1. Something bad happens to me.

2. I recognize that the world is a dangerous place and that no one protected me from that particular danger and, therefore, no one will protect me next time.

3. I vow to look out for myself.

4. I see that something that is outside of my control will happen to me again, unless the problem was me.

5. I take the…

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I appreciate what Larry Crabb said about our desires (even good desires) becoming demands. When we think that our desires of convenience and necessity are as deep as we can go, we idolize their satisfaction, or, as the discussion question says, we aim too low.

This was a helpful thought for me, because I have always believed that wisdom comes with life experience. Our experience is important, of course, but unless we can grasp the truth that the person we are relating to is bearing God’s image, any advice that we give will be tainted with our focus on self and what we think we know.

When we take God at His Word by what He says in His Word, we see others as fellow sinners in need of soulcare. What we do, say, and how we choose to think is directed by the Creator of our minds, bodies, and souls. Understanding others through the lens of what God has said leads to a soul-level interpretation for what is needed in a given situation.

I am reminded of my inadequacy– I really have no idea what I’m doing!– but also realize that my inadequacy and brokenness is one of the key principles of soulcare.

The “damaged self” is the victim who began as innocent and was harmed by external factors and relationships. The “stubborn soul” is a description of our flesh, or the depravity of our inward self that says that we can make our lives work without God.

Focusing on the deeper issue of relationships is a way for both you and your friend to realize what is going on in your friend’s soul: the battle between the flesh and the spirit. This realization will nudge them toward the vision that God’s Spirit has for them.

Out of my brokenness over my own self-centeredness can come what Larry Crabb calls “the energy of Christ.” My acknowledgement of my own inadequacy provides an opportunity to rely on the Spirit of God as I care for souls.

Yes, I am beginning to recognize the fleshly energy and passion behind the way I “minister” to others. I can see that as I begin life in a new community, I want others to accept and value me. Some of my interactions with them have been an attempt to move myself from being an outsider to being an insider.

This is a hard topic for me because I don’t believe the answer is to stop doing the right thing until we have the right motive. Sometimes, the right motive must come first; other times, the right motive may need to tag along behind.

I do believe that my holy passion to love others is displayed when I give myself the space to examine my…

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Although we all were made in the image of God (Gen. 1:27), we were also born in iniquity (Ps. 51:5) and have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23). It is only as believers that we are able to be a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17) and be transformed from one degree of glory to another (2 Cor. 3:18).

When we believe we are competent, we forget to rely on the Spirit. In my years of mission work, I have found this to be true, even at the linguistic level. When I was resting in my ability to speak the language, I didn’t listen for the Spirit’s direction in what I should actually be communicating.

How true that we are made new! And until we reach glory, we cannot shed the layers of ourselves that have accumulated with the years of our lives. Freedom in Christ does not eliminate how we have been shaped and formed. And those shapes and formations will continue to shape and form us until or unless we deal with them.

Praise the Lord that He…

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An inside look is unnecessary

Too often, we focus on dragging up internal responses to external issues, not allowing room for practical solutions. When we look at Jesus’ life and ministry, we see that He lived in a way that required hands-on with the people around Him. The internal world was important, of course, but He also dealt with what…

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Knowing that this is ultimately God’s work takes away the pressure to “do it right” and tick the right boxes. And with less pressure to perform comes more space for actually caring for the person in front of you and watching what God is doing in their life.

So often, we are afraid of rejection: “If they knew who I really am down deep, they wouldn’t even want to be in the same room.” We sometimes present a polished veneer… or sometimes an unpolished one that presents just enough of our personal issues to keep others from asking about the issues we don’t want them to know about.

I have…

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