Have you ever felt uncomfortable in your soul?
It’s like a gnawing sense that you are not where you are supposed to be. It’s the feeling you would get if you happened on a group of your friends hanging out without you. That anxiety when no one around you is giving you an indication that you’re doing okay. It’s found in the silence of the tired drive from work, when you’re detached from the craziness of a weekend party in the city and in the aftermath of that reprimand from your superior.
I am actually grateful for this feeling – this sense of longing. This identifying factor that points out where things are not right. Whether we like it or not, this emotion draws us to a crossroad in our lives. There are three different roads that I have taken in my life. See if you can recognise any of them in your own…
1. The Road of Offence
So many people allow this discomfort in our soul to rule their lives. This is the definition of offence. Once offence settles in, it causes us to make decisions that normally hurt us in the long run.
I believe that this road slopes downwards. It is easy-going on the way down, but retracing your steps is a whole lot more work. Pulling others down this road is pretty easy. Trying to haul them back up is another story.
I am extremely saddened by people who choose to be offended. No matter how natural it feels, offence is always taken and not given. You can allow your emotional wellbeing to be affected by the way things happen around you. It is definitely very justifiable. But the sign of true maturity is believing in yourself and still doing what you are called to do – no matter what.
2. The Road Back
Feeling like you are out of your comfort zone – or simply out of place – can cause you to retreat. Sometimes questioning where you are is the threshold for a new season in your life. It can be constructive. But I have seen how I have ignored my inner frustration and just retreated back into the way I have always done things.
It’s always going to be more comfortable going back and forth on a road you have already travelled. You will get to know the landmarks, the terrain and the turns of the road you’ve taken; but you will not move forward and will always arrive back at that crossroad where things just don’t feel right.
3. The Road Home
There are three quotes from C.S. Lewis that truly helped me to identify this third road:
“You don’t have a soul. You are a soul. You have a body”
So often we think of the physical world as our ultimate reality. But society has become more and more aware that there is something more to life than our bodies. You can look amazing, feel physically invincible and still be void of passion, purpose and joy.
“If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.”
The discomfort that we feel – that sense that something isn’t right – is actually a force driving us forwards towards another world. A better place. A place where we feel at home. I believe that heaven is that place. I believe that is why people feel like they are returning when they find God. There is something that our soul recognises in God even if we have never known him before.
“To enter heaven is to become more human than you ever succeeded in being on earth…”
God has custom-made us to fit with him. The ‘human’ he formed was one that walked and talked with him every day. We are designed for more than self-existence. We have been designed for glorious dependence and partnership. This means that we not only have a home with God, but a purpose. True fulfilment is waiting at the end of the road leading heavenwards.
You might think I’m a bit crazy. But your soul matters. Neglecting it – allowing it to be twisted and corrupted – will make life unbearable. But if you know that what you are experiencing emotionally and intellectually is actually leading you to a place of peace and joy, you will be able to bear the hard times knowing there is a glorious destination!
In the Bible, God is described as the Shepherd and Overseer of our souls (1 Peter 2:25). Thankfully we don’t have to find our way to heaven. We don’t even have to ‘follow our hearts’. God knows what we can take. He knows where we are, he knows where we are headed and he knows what lies between. He knows when you need to rest, why you need to grow, and how you’re going to get through each season as well. He knows you. But that’s not enough for him. He wants you to know him too. If you want to find out more, click on the link below.