The Awesome Threesome

By Richard and Mary-Alice Jafolla

Spirit, soul and body. We hear the words, but what do they mean? Spirit and soul seem especially confusing, although they are two very different concepts. … We need to get a handle on Spirit, soul and body so we can understand the roles they play in our lives.

Spirit – the invincible you

Your Spirit is changeless. It's the “real” you – the aspect of you that recognizes your divinity, recognizes that God lives as you. You will always want to feel connected with your Spirit, because it will unerringly guide you in ways that are best for you.

When you are able to sense the presence of God – in yourself and in everyone else you will be living from your spiritual dimension. Not there yet? Join the club. Yet the surprising thing is that right now on some level deep within you, your Spirit does love everyone and everything because everyone and everything are part of God, part of you. All people have the same divinity as you do, no matter how it may appear otherwise at times.

Soul – the changeable you

Another aspect of you is your soul. Constantly changing, it is made up of your thoughts and feelings and everything else in your mind. Your soul is your mind – your personality. It decides the way you act. It decides how you feel and how you express your feelings. It decides what you say. Although it can't be seen or heard or touched, it nevertheless determines how your life unfolds and makes you who you are.

Think of your soul as a swinging door. It can open in or out. If it opens inwardly – in other words, if we turn to the spiritual aspect of us – we will receive all the marvelous ideas we need in order to be happier and to live more satisfying lives. When we do this, we say we are turning our souls inward to Spirit, or God.

The soul can also turn to the outer world, influenced by all the things and people and events around us. When the soul focuses on these things, it often receives false information. Something can seem “bad” or sadden us because we're judging with only our five senses. Since what we see and hear in the outer world is often unreliable, it's best to make it a habit to turn to that God Self inside us for correct promptings on what to say or what to do in every situation.

There's one great reason why the soul should be filled with correct info: Your life will reflect what is in your soul! Let's look at what this means. Whatever you really believe, feel strongly about, and think about constantly will tend to show up in your life. You see, the soul is like a factory. It doesn't care what it produces – it just produces. But it can only produce what it has been told to produce. Like a reliable building contractor, your soul follows the blueprint of your thoughts and feelings.

For instance, if an intelligent child has been consistently told he is not smart and if deep in his soul he has accepted this as a “fact,” he will find a way to get poor grades. And he will continue to do so until his belief changes. Or, if a person truly believes she will inherit an illness, the soul will see to it that she does.

Body – the tangible you

Your body is a vehicle through which God is expressed. It's also the home of your soul. People all over the world build beautiful churches, temples and cathedrals, which they admire and respect as “God's houses.” They lavish a lot of time and money preserving and beautifying them. Yet they often forget that first and foremost God dwells within the human body. While no one would consider throwing garbage and trash into one of these man-made houses of God, many throw “garbage and trash” into their bodies.

When we eat and drink harmful foods and beverages or use harmful substances, we do just that – we damage the temple that God constructed. We also damage the body when we hold onto hate-filled thoughts and other negative thoughts. Since the body is a temple for God, shouldn't it be cared for and respected?

Recap

Spirit, soul and body are key concepts, so let's quickly review them. Spirit is your essence and your awareness of God living through you, giving you access to the gifts and attributes of God.

Your soul comprises your thoughts, beliefs, attitudes and feelings about things. The soul can “tune in” to your Spirit or it can “tune in” to the world. The choice you make affects your entire life, so it needs to be as Spirit-centered and loving as you can make it.

Your body is the home of God. It deserves to be treated accordingly.