How’s Your Soul?

My February Book Recommendation is “How’s Your Soul? by Judah Smith. The Tagline on the book says, “Why Everything That Matters Starts With The Inside You”.

I really enjoyed reading this book. The author, Judah Smith, has a way of writing that will make you crack up laughing and also at the same time, he gives you great insight and truth to ponder.   I think you will really enjoy his stories as well as the depth that he brings from them.

The books starts by asking, “Have you ever had someone look deep into your soul and ask, “Are you okay?”   Judah says in the book, “we tend to use outward indicators of success to prove how “okay” we are. But none of these things- not wealth, not fame, not family, not goals reached- mean we are healthy and happy on the inside.” He says, “This is a book about being okay on the inside. It’s a book about being satisfied, stable and healthy on a soul level.”

In his book, he defines your soul, “as the inside you- it’s your heart, your inner being, your mind, your will and emotions.” He shares so much great truth in this book, but one thing really stood out to me that I want to share. He says, “if you are like me, your soul has a tendency to drift like a boat on a sea. The purpose of an anchor is to keep you from drifting. It keeps you from being carried by every wake and current that swirls past. Ultimately, it keeps you from capsizing. An anchor is an agent of stability, security and steadiness.”     Quick side note- love the anchor analogy! Then he continues on and asks, “what is your anchor? Where do you turn to when your soul is overwhelmed? When you feel like you are drowning inside and need an escape?”

Again, I love how he asks lots of questions and gets you to really think and ponder where your stability and security is. He says he has heard answers like when I’m debt free or my house is paid off. Many people turn to their jobs, their education, their money, or their home for their anchor. I love what he says next- listen to this truth: “The bottom line is that things that do not have a soul cannot aid people who do have souls. “ Wow- such truth! He says, “ your car will not help you when you are discouraged. Your house does not have a soul and your job doesn’t have a soul. By definition and by nature, these things do not have the stability within themselves to aid you in your mind, your will or your emotions.”

So he continues and says that some people answer that their stability is their husband or wife, their family, their kids, their parents or their friends. He says, “yes, people have souls so this is answer is definitely a step up. But because that person you are counting on has a soul that is just as fragile and fragmented as yours and mine, he or she will be there for you sometimes but not all the time.” We have all experienced this before when someone has let us down.   Just a quick side note- Judah is not saying that relationships are not important; in fact, he says they are very important in the book. He is just saying that we can’t anchor to them for our stability and security.

Then Judah says this, “We need somebody with a soul. It needs to be a soul similar to ours, a soul that knows plight and condition. But at the same time, it needs to be a soul that is profoundly different, a soul that is flawless and perfect and whole. That is the only soul that can fix us, because it doesn’t have to fix itself.” Judah then says, “Jesus is the anchor our soul longs for.”   When we are going through circumstances that are tough, storms in our life, Jesus wants to be our strength and stability in the storm. He wants to be your anchor.   Now you might be thinking that it is hard to trust in Jesus because you cannot see him.   I love what Judah says, “An anchor does it best work where it is never seen. An anchor plunges through the depths of the sea until it settles and wedges itself into the ocean floor. Meanwhile, back on the surface, in the boat that is your soul, you continue to be buffeted by the elements of life. All you can see in the moment are the wind and waves. But under the surface, you have an anchor.” The question is will you have faith and trust that anchor? Judah says, “It’s easy to have faith when we are safely in the boat- when the wind is gone and the stars are out. But can we trust Jesus in the midst of the storm? Because that is when we need him the most.”   I truly hope and pray that we can trust Jesus as our anchor.   Judah ends the chapter with this, “I can’t promise you that the wind will instantly cease or the waves will immediately calm. But I can promise you that he will keep you safe in the midst of the storm. He is everything you need. And when you get through the storm, you will find yourself in a place of stability, faith and fruitfulness that come only from him.” I love this!

Dear God, I want to pray for all my friends who are in the middle of a storm right now. I know that it can feel lonely and hopeless. God, I pray that they trust you through this difficult time. I love that Jesus is the perfect anchor for all our souls. I love that He is with us during the storm and He keeps us stable!   I pray that we will not try to find our stability in things that do not have a soul like our homes or jobs or our money. I pray that we will not try to find our stability in people that can let us down and leave us even more discouraged.   God, I pray we seek Jesus for our stability and our security!   Thank you for being there for us during the storms in our lives. In Jesus’ name, Amen.