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By Jo Gamm Witt Copyright 2025
We consist of two separate entities—the body and the soul. This becomes evident in death, when the spirit leaves the body—the body dies, but the soul continues living. We know this is true because of accounts given by people who have temporarily died, but were brought back to life, accounts referred to as “near death experiences.”
Even so, there is an interconnectedness between body and soul. Some scientists have theorized about there being a “God spot” in the brain. A fascinating study of people with traumatic brain injuries that was performed by the University of Missouri-Columbia and published April 19, 2012 in Science Daily concluded that “spirituality is a complex phenomenon, and multiple areas of the brain are responsible for the many aspects of spiritual experiences.” Further “the participants with more significant injury to their right parietal lobe showed an increased feeling of closeness to a higher power.” https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120419091223.htm
I believe there is a deep aching of the soul to have a connectedness with God. I recall back to a close friend I met while in college. When I met him, he was deep into alcoholism, attributed to a traumatic life event that he shared with me about. At some point, he sought treatment for his alcoholism and shared with me about things he was taught and learned while doing so. Many, if not all, treatment programs for addiction teach the need to acknowledge and lean on a “higher power.” In nourishing the soul by recognizing and leaning on a “higher power,” they are better able to control addictive urges.
But how do we “nourish” our soul?
For some they feel nourished by attending church, fellowshipping with other believers, hearing a sermon from which maybe they learn something new. But let’s be honest about it, sometimes church turns people away, whether it be the style of worship, people they encounter there, or even the pastor. Church is not always what it should be.
Some experience God and his Spirit in nature, surrounded by that which God has made—a quiet, serene place in the woods, along a lake, on a mountain, in a pasture or a field, etc. In the bible we’re told about Elijah hearing God’s still, quiet voice (1 Kings 19:12), but how often is God’s voice drowned out by our busyness or by filling our lives with unhealthy people or things?
So, how do we know God? An easy answer is by reading the bible, and yes, that too. But don’t we look for God in people that we encounter in life, not just in church, but everywhere around us? Aren’t we watchful of what their lives are witnessing to us? And conversely, what are our lives witnessing to others? Do they see God in us, in how we live, the words we speak, in our actions?
Sometimes our lives are full, and yet our souls feel starved, dehydrated, withering away into nothingness. What are we filling up our “God spot” with? When we embrace God in us, we are nourished by the fruits of the Spirit— love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).
So, how is the health of your soul?
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