Our Most Prized Possession
Can we offer a guess for what is our most prized possession that we carry through life? Here are several clues to help us with its discovery:
- Every person on this earth has one.
- It travels with us wherever we go.
- No one can take it from us.
- It cannot be seen or destroyed.
Can we guess now? If not, here are two more clues:
- Its value is priceless.
- When we die, it lives.
You guessed it, it’s our SOUL!
This miraculous gift was given to each of us at the moment of conception. The soul contains our will and our intellect which are eternal. The intellect is the understanding part of our soul while the will is the decision part of our soul. The intellect presents information to the will and the will then decides to act upon this information or not.
This is when we can face an internal struggle – the will to submit ourselves to God’s will or give into the temptations that enter our minds, choosing actions displeasing to God. During life, we are always in the throes of battle between good and evil for our soul.
What is the root of our temptations? It’s the physical sensations that go beyond human reasoning, meaning that the will must deal with our physical appetites, which can play havoc within our soul. We are talking about our passions that have matured over time, which, for some, can take a lifetime to morally conquer. When we give into our passions, we suffer the aftermath of remorse for our actions.
If the intellect is following a moral conscience, then the battle increases with our passions; if the intellect is following an immoral conscience, then the will easily yields to the demands of our passions without any remorse. After Jesus ascended into Heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit to guide mankind through their earthly journey. As we venture through life, He is the one that fills our conscience with the right path to follow in every circumstance because He sees our future and only wants what is best for us at every moment. We cannot choose the best choice for ourselves without the gift of knowledge and grace of the Holy Spirit to guide us in fighting temptations.
So what are key points to learn here? Have faith in Jesus and the Holy Spirit, who will fill us with heavenly grace (the heavenly fertilizer that nourishes our soul), which can help us move beyond worldly passions and focus on God. Without the grace of God we cannot travel beyond our passions and selfishness to accomplish salvation and perform good works for others.
At this point, we could reasonably ask the following question: From the age of reason, why do we have to continually fight that battle between good and evil within us? The answer points to our fallen nature, resulting from the stain of sin (Original Sin) that Adam and Eve transmitted to ALL future generations, including us. Knowing this, we can truly say, “We are all sinners before God.” And we know that Jesus came into the world to save sinners.
And it’s important to know that we were purposely created to be united with our Creator when we die. God knew that we couldn’t be victorious on our own without heavenly help. So He sent Jesus in His human nature to save us, who, in turn, would send the Holy Spirit to help guide us home. Jesus knows that our mind is willing but our flesh is weak. Once we decide to follow Jesus and grow closer to Him, expect that a lifelong battle will rage, with the evil ones trying to separate our soul from its Creator.
However, since we have Jesus on our side, He is available 24/7 to intervene for us when we face the temptations to sin. But because we have free will, He is waiting for us to seek Him and ask for the grace (heavenly help) to overcome our temptations.
There are two different ways that I seek Jesus when temptation is rampant in my mind:
- I close my eyes and continually repeat the word “Jesus” until the temptation goes away.
- I mentally run to the Cross, wrap my arms around Jesus and continually say “I love You” with all my heart.
We must do whatever is required to protect our soul because our choice is eternal, either to enjoy Heaven with our loving Creator or to suffer in the fire of Hell with Satan, who hates anything God created. The choice is ours as to who we follow. For all eternity, do we choose the fire of Hell or the bliss of Heaven? That should be a no-brainer. LET’S CHOOSE TO TAKE OUR SOUL TO JESUS TO SHARE ETERNAL JOY WITH HIM.