The day I purchased my used 2010 Honda Pilot was also the day I learned, firsthand, what it means to hydroplane. While checking out the car, I somehow neglected to pay attention to the condition of the tires. Driving home in a sudden downpour, I tapped my breaks, only to discover that my bald tires had lost contact with the pavement, sending me fishtailing across the adjacent lanes of the tollway. Thankfully, I regained control and escaped my predicament unscathed.
Too often, I find that my pace of life, combined with the circumstances around me, can cause me to lose a sense of the grounding I need to live a sane and peaceful life. When this happens, I can easily hydroplane in my relationship with God and those I care about most. When I am “hydroplaning,” I lack the self-awareness of what is going on beneath the surface of my life.
The Bible teaches that each of us is made in the image of God and we are wonderfully complex, having both an external life and an inner life. When the Bible uses the term “soul,” it most often refers to the internal “spiritual” part of our nature. John Wesley, considered the founder of the Methodist and Wesleyan Churches, frequently asked the question, “How is your soul?” to colleagues at Oxford University. This is a much different question than simply, “How are you?” It is closer to the question, “How are you doing, really?” The question “How is your soul?” encourages us to pause and reflect before answering.
I have found that a personal relationship with Jesus frees me from having to be in control. I am able to rest in God’s love and care for me in Christ and deal honestly with what is going on under the surface of my life. As I seek to emulate the kind of life that Jesus lived, I find interior resources I do not have otherwise.
Jesus invites us to come to him … just as we are … even with lives out of balance. He wants us to learn how to live out a full soul and balanced life, but the fact is, none of us are going to get this right consistently. We need to learn from Him, which requires that we engage in the same activities Jesus did.
So, how is your soul these days? As the speed of life increases, it is easy to lose the grounding that comes from a personal and ongoing dependence on God. The New Testament author, John, opens the little book of third John with a warm greeting and prayer for his friend, Gaius: “Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.” I pray that your soul is getting along well these days. If you find yourself spiritually or emotionally hydroplaning, slow down enough to regain the grounding of a personal connection with God.
Dr. Chuck Martin has been the lead pastor of First Baptist Frisco since 2002.