Tormented: Eight Years and Back

Where's Your Identity?
Body, Soul, and Spirit

Where is your identity? While a soma person is caught up in himself, a soulish person loves the world and the things in the world. (The soulish individual is motivated by one of two realms.) The first category of soulishness is emotional. This individual is personality driven. His entire identity centers on the psuche. Art, music, literature, food, beauty… simply ravish his soul. In college, his major is built around the electives and he usually never finishes his degree. There is an innate moodiness that surrounds him in low moments, and ecstasy goes over the top in his exuberant moments. When he’s down, he enjoys being sad and hibernates in his room and plays heartbreaking music. At other times he is the flamboyant entertainer who jokes, calls names, goofs off and picks up random identities. He watches television to see what his favorite character is wearing. This individual categorizes life in only two terms—what is "fun" and what is "not fun." His mouth is usually open and he loves to hear himself talk. He craves affection and moves from relationship to relationship. He hates being alone. There have been few gaps between the girl he dated in kindergarten, the one who followed next and the girl he’s with now. There may have even been a few overlaps! Crisis is a normal part of his life and drama is center-stage of each crisis.

It is no less soulish to be the second type. The analytical personality is like a human calculator who spits out the facts. This is the person who knows the price of cheese by the ounce when he (she) is in the grocery store. His (her) major in college is much more serious than the personality driven individual. He has a double major, specializing in the more concrete fields such as accounting, science, engineering, marketing… He is compulsively organized, loves rules and regulations for the "other guy" and wigs out if he loses control in any area of his life. He is the guy on the hall who continually shouts, "Be quiet, I’m trying to study!"—and isn’t ashamed of it. When he watches television it is news and market trends. This is the man who prides himself with his intellect and superior knowledge. His mind runs on wide open. If it isn’t logical, he doesn’t go there. However, the irreverent intrigues him in the name of intellectualism. In his early years he had very few relationships, but those have been long term with ridiculously extended dating years; and if it ends in matrimony, it is because she asked him. He doesn’t have crises, he creates them.

If a person is dominated by his soul and he (she) considers himself (herself) to be a good Christian, he often mixes his soul and spirit. Two individuals can be sitting on the same pew, listening to the same sermon, while one listens with his soul and one with his spirit. The first one hears with his intellect. He is impressed with the depth of the teaching. He is even more impressed with his own mind and how spiritually adept he is. He loves to argue and speculate as he mentally freewheels. He feels that what is being taught is for everyone else. He is highly opinionated and never realizes that his ministry was self appointed. This is a soulish psuche Christian.

The second man hears with his heart. He lets the word wash over him, and worship explodes inside of him. His spirit jumps with excitement over truth, no matter how much that truth deals a direct blow to his doctrine and preconceived ideas. He is eager to share what has meant so much to him. He lets the word he hears change his mind and he applies it to his life. A ministry evolves without his ever realizing it. This man is a spirit-led pneuma man.

© 2006, Peggy Joyce Ruth
http://www.peggyjoyceruth.org