How is it with your soul?
This was the question asked weekly of those who gathered in the first Methodist societies organized by John and Charles Wesley while they were still college students. It’s a good question that invites us to think deeper and respond more honestly than we might to the typical, “How are you?” greeting that is satisfied with the monosyllabic response, “Fine.”
In a year where many things have not been fine—individually or collectively—we encourage you to pause during this season of Advent/Christmas/Epiphany to consider the soul. In the Christian tradition the soul might best be understood as the essence of one’s total being. All the variables that make us who we are internally and externally come together as the soul. Likewise, the constellation of variables that make up the systems and institutions ruling our lives create the soul of those entities. For example, people speak readily of “the soul of the nation” when trying to capture its essence. But the institutions and systems, even the nations, are no more than the collection of people who make them up, meaning their souls are our souls. It must be well with our collective souls for it to be well with the institutions and systems we create. By working internally to have souls that are well, we contribute to systems and institutions that are also well.
How is it with your soul?
We hope that you will find this guide helpful in your faith community, small group, family, or personal reflection.
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