Our Daily Bread

Title: Deep down inside

Intro

If our perishable body demands so much attention, how much more our imperishable soul, writes Anil Israel.

Article

When we have visitors at home, we take the utmost care to clean and tidy our home, to make it highly presentable before they arrive. We may even invest a lot of time, energy, and effort in arranging a delicious meal for them. This is true, not only in our informal social settings but also in the formal corporate world. When a celebrity or dignitary of high rank is invited for a special occasion, those who are responsible for arrangements, extensively ensure that nothing is lacking in their welcome and all measures are taken to ensure that the guests receive the best service. But when the King of kings and Lord of lords (Revelation 19:16) knocks at the door of our hearts, seeking permission to enter, how do we respond?

We tend to get carried away by the notion that external expressions determine results. When the Lord sent Prophet Samuel to anoint the son of Jesse, Samuel presumed it could be the eldest son Eliab. But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’ (1 Samuel 16:7). 

When the Lord knocks at the door of our heart, we may at times be reluctant to let the Lord in, for we are aware of the mess that would get exposed. Sometimes we let the Lord in only to certain areas of our heart, unprepared to let Him into certain secret chambers. Have we been unintentionally delaying divine romance?

Recently, I was prompted by my free email service provider to reduce storage space. It seems I had been using more than double the limit foreseen for free use of the service rendered. In a desperate attempt not to lose the service, I diligently resorted to a mammoth clean up that consumed several hours over multiple days. In the process, I realised I had allowed careless accumulation of unnecessary digital content. I eventually parted with decades of old stuff. Though I am now slightly under the prescribed limit, I have come to learn that this clean up needs to become an ongoing regular routine, to be able to enjoy the free service.

Those of us with an attic or a basement providing free storage space, can easily co-relate to everything that has been casually dumped over the years. If something is stored assuming a later utility but has neither  been needed nor likely to be used, must I retain it still? Shouldn’t I consider giving it away to someone else who might need it now? The earlier I decide, the more I declutter my life.

Our crazy comfort-seeking lifestyle and unhealthy food culture demands that we pay attention to our physical wellness. With an aim to maintain our bodily appearances, we succumb to reluctant reliance on the fitness studio.  A plethora of workout videos grab our attention to try out every piece of advice out there, in the hope to attain our dream dimensions in weight and shape.

It seems our earthly life primarily revolves around satisfying our bodily cravings. If the perishable body demands so much attention, isn’t it fair to give due attention to our imperishable soul? 

What is the shape of my disfigured soul? How much dead weight of negativity have I been accumulating? Is my heart full of toxicity or compassion for souls? Do I realise that I need to focus on spiritual wellness? What spiritual exercises do I need to embrace? How often to I take a break to let my soul breath in the heavenly serenity of His divine presence? Is going for an annual retreat part of my priority list? Do I surround myself with holy art and Christian music? Am I feeding my starving soul with scriptural nourishment and sacramental nutrients?  Is prayer, a life ring I seek when I am drowning in the troubled sea or is it my exclusive time with my beloved Lord? 

Physical exercise has some value, but spiritual exercise is valuable in every way, because it promises life both for the present and for the future (1 Timothy 4:8). We are indeed amidst constant spiritual warfare. For our struggle is not against human opponents, but against rulers, authorities, cosmic powers in the darkness around us, and evil spiritual forces in the heavenly realm (Ephesians 6:12). 

We simply can’t afford to lay down our weapons and be crushed by the enemy. We need to be an active spiritual warrior. We need some sort of spiritual discipline in life. By virtue of our baptism, we are a member of the mystical body of Christ. Am I a dead cell or am I alive? Like St Paul can I too say, it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me (Galatians 2:20). To be a living cell, I need to let Christ live in me. I need to let Christ into every chamber of my heart, into every fibre of my being. 

He must increase; I must decrease (John 3:30). More of Him and less of me, till there is all of Him and none of me. May we let Christ lead us out of darkness into His marvellous light (1 Peter 2:9). May we let the divine potter craft us into His image and likeness. May we pray for the grace to uproot every selfishness and to grow more in other-centredness. In the final analysis, our exterior lives hardly matter. What matters most is how we live our interior lives – deep down inside.

Anil Israel lives in Mannheim, Germany with his wife Sunitha and their 6 children.