“For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?” Matthew 16:26 ESV
Elon Musk just became the world’s first trillionaire. I don’t know about you, but, even as a former math major, that number just boggles my mind. To put that into perspective, let’s say you spent a thousand dollars a day. To spend a million would take you approximately two years, nine months, and ten days. A billion dollars, at a thousand dollars a day would take about 2,740 years. A trillion dollars, at a thousand dollars a day would take 2,739,726 years! Consider that our current national debt just reached 40 trillion dollars, which translates to about $119,500 for every man, woman, and child in our country. If trillionaire Elon Musk were to pledge a thousand dollars a day to retire our national debt, it would take 109 million years! And that does not include any interest. Makes a 30-year mortgage or an 84-month car loan seem like a pittance, doesn’t it.
The human obsession with wealth and material accumulation stems from deep evolutionary instincts for survival and security, amplified by modern social status games, i.e., the accumulation of possessions. Amassing resources, after all, guards against future scarcity, famine, or unexpected hardship (Think toilet paper during the COVID crisis).
Jesus had a lot to say about money; more, in fact, that just about any other subject except the Kingdom of God. This is significant because money is seldom about money. It touches, not just our security, but our priorities, relationships, generosity, and even our faith and trust in God. Wealth is often measured by what we can see and touch, i.e., things.
Things. They seem so important at the time, yet, they so quickly fade away. If you want to know how truly important your “things” are, ask your adult children which of your possessions they would like to have after you are gone. You will not like their answers. The Scriptures remind us that there is only one thing that we have that is truly lasting, and that is our soul. It is what gives us life and makes us who we are. Our soul is the essence of our being, that which makes us created in the image of the Creator. Does it not then make more sense to spend at least as much time caring for that which is eternal as we do for those things that are temporal?
In his book, Soul Keeping: Caring for the Most Important Part of You (Which our Wednesday night group examined earlier this year), John Ortberg defines the soul as “not just as an afterlife component, but as the invisible core that integrates your mind, body, will, and emotions into a single functioning person.” Further, he posits that we are directly responsible for the condition of our own soul. In other words, we are our soul’s “keepers” (Hence, the title of the book). But how does one keep one’s own soul?
Several years ago a book appeared entitled, Chicken Soup for the Soul. It was so popular that it gave birth to many more “Chicken Soup” titles (some 275-300 at last count), such as Chicken Soup for the Country Soul, and Chicken Soup for the Shopper’s Soul. There is even a Chicken Soup for the Christian’s Soul, but I have yet to see one for the clergy soul. It almost makes me want to write a book called, Man Shall Not Live by Chicken Soup Alone.
But there is more to the tending of one’s soul than chicken soup or reading books. In Deuteronomy 4:9 Moses tells the Children of Israel, “Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children's children—” Ortberg suggests that for a soul to thrive, it needs a stable center in God, consistent rest from productivity, freedom from unhealthy attachments, a hopeful future, gratitude, and deep satisfaction found in spiritual connection. This holistic approach emphasizes that, unlike the body, the soul's needs are met through intentional spiritual care rather than material fulfillment.
So, how are you relating to your soul? What is that inner relationship like? When was the last time you stopped your busy activity (of caring for cars, clothes, lawns and a thousand other things) and thought about—even listened to—God —to your inner self? Try it. Make time for it. You just may find that your soul has a lover who happens to be its Creator.
Prayer: Lord, help me to slow down and consider those things which are really important in my life, especially You who created me and loves me despite my shortcomings. Amen.
Fr. Steve+
