Rest for our souls
The past two weeks in our house have been tense. A family member was virtually confined to her bedroom, as the rest of us waited every few days for the next test. That’s right, my daughter has been sitting her GCSE ‘mocks’.
These have always been seen as practice exams for the real thing each summer, except this year her teachers are piling on extra pressure to perform immediately. They need accurate grade predictions in case COVID causes the full exams to be cancelled in 2021.
It got me thinking that really there is no “mock” for life. We wish there was – life seems to happen so fast around us. The things we once viewed as being a long way off suddenly become today’s events. 9 months ago there was talk of a COVID vaccine one day in the distant future, and this week it is a reality. In my mind, my toddler has become a teen in the blink of an eye.
I remember my attention being caught once by a sign once outside a church that said, ‘someday is now’. It is a message along the lines of ‘don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today.’
The prophet Jeremiah in the Bible offers the advice that sometimes we just need to stop and attend not just to the urgent, but to the most important things in life.
“This is what the Lord says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.”
The Christmas season is an ancient path that leads to the good news about Jesus Christ. He said it crystal clear:
“What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?“ (Matthew 16)
This year, let’s remember that our spiritual life is the most important aspect of our being. A healthy soul is the engine of a healthy life. Relationship with God is a promise greater than all the pressures and speed of everyday life: rest for our souls.