Portals to the Soul

How often do we take into consideration just what our hearts are encountering? We live in a period of history where tiny screens provide our brains with more information in one single day than they received in a decade in the past. As GK Chesterton phrased it over a hundred years ago, “People are inundated, blinded, deafened, and mentally paralyzed by a flood of vulgar and tasteless externals, leaving them no time for leisure, thought, or creation from within themselves." It is easy to boldly affirm that just because you see aspects of the fallen world, you are not taking part in them, but is that wholly the truth? How often do you brush off a song as just a song, or a movie as purely entertainment? This is not to encourage legalism by any means, but it is to suggest refining the content, the media, and the ideas you are consuming. The eyes and ears are portals; they allow and enable access not only to the head, but to the heart. As Proverbs 4:23 shares,

“Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life.”

The word for heart here is, Lēḇ, which means inner man, mind, will, heart, or understanding. Through an assessment of discernment with the Holy Spirit as your guide, you may come to the conviction that though all is permissible, not all is beneficial. (1 Corinthians 10:23-24). God is gracious to reveal to us the truth when we truly seek Him for answers. In doing so, we must put away our assumptions, pride, and egos, but what awaits is solid conviction that is refreshing and peace-giving.

Sub-Creators  

Tolkien shared in Mythopoeia that, being made by our ultimate Creator, Yahweh, we by design have the wiring to create as Sub-Creators. What is vital to acknowledge in this is the aspect of Free Will with such an endowment. Creatives and Sub-Creators have the Free Will to infuse messages and intentions within the art they create. As recipients of this, we must be diligent to inquire of the Lord for His specific desire for us, for He knows what ultimately will serve us as life-giving nourishment. If even pursued from pure curiosity, research what directors, writers, producers, or designers say of the work they have created for a public audience. Interviews shed light that such professionals pour themselves into their work. This can be something very revealing, and it motivates us to really consider the source of what we let in our minds. We must be watchful that we do not permit conduits to our precious souls, our Lēḇ, to infectious or nefarious sources. Your body will ultimately become what you feed it. Likewise, your mind becomes what you consume. Be careful with how you choose to feed both. The fewer doors the Enemy has to get to you, the less opportunity he has to distract, derail, or detach you from a life lived in true freedom.

Live by Example

“Just because it is what is done, does not mean it is what should be done” is a phrase Joan of Arc understood from an early age. Joan was known for her courage, her ability to discern insights from Messengers of God, and for her loyalty to God, even when it went against the status quo. These characteristics were cultivated at a young age for the teenage girl God would choose to help France. In Mark Twain’s Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc, a rare maturity was exhibited by Joan when, as custom at the time, the children of the village were urged to make decorative wreaths to celebrate the Fae, hanging them upon the Fairy Tree. Joan’s father noticed that she made the choice not to comply, but instead to hang her pieces for adoration upon the doors of the Church. When questioned as to her motives, she offered the conviction, “Because it was said that the fairies were of kin to the Fiend, and that it was sinful to show them honor.” (Chapter 2). In the same way, there will be situations in which we must analyze an opportunity and decide on our next move. As Joan said, “All battles are first won or lost in the mind.”