The past several weeks have been very hard. There have been several situations that have been challenging and some of them have been heart-wrenching.
I went to church yesterday and found myself thinking about no less than three potentially life-altering situations that I’m living right now. The sermon was about how to find joy in the darkest, most painful parts of our lives.
But, the thing that had the most impact on me was the very last hymn. “It Is Well.”
As I sang, I felt the Lord saying to me, “But is it really? Is it well with your soul? Is it truly well? Or are you just resigned to what happens? What if situation A is bad and Situation B doesn’t step up to the plate and Situation C ends up throwing you under the bus? What if none of those things work out for your benefit? What then? Is it truly well with your soul? Or are you simply resigned to your fate?”
I felt an overwhelming sense that regardless, I was going to be ok. I didn’t sense that everything was going to work out for my good and my glory (because let’s face it — we all have an inner, unconscious desire for self-glorification), but I felt peace that no matter what happened, I could trust that I would be well and that I could expect to find a place of wellness of the soul.
I spoke with my pastor and a dear friend this afternoon and we were talking about the concept of wellness of the soul. How do you get to a place where no matter what happens, your soul is well? What does that even look like? My pastor reminded me of the message in church yesterday….
- Be humble enough to invite Jesus into the painful areas of life.
- Receive the grace that He continually pours out.
- Experience true joy in the darkness.
That is how one can move away from being resigned to one’s fate and into being able to truly say, “It is well with my soul.” Wellness of the soul begins with knowing that Jesus is intimately involved in your situation, even if that situation doesn’t work out for your benefit. It involves being aware of and consciously receiving His overwhelming grace and being able to see the hand of God at work in it. Knowing His presence and seeing His hand is what brings joy — and true wellness of the soul.
Mari's Muses 