{"id":257,"date":"2008-07-12T13:36:00","date_gmt":"2008-07-12T13:36:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/bibleandculture\/2008\/07\/the-sound-of-the-soul.html"},"modified":"2008-07-12T13:36:00","modified_gmt":"2008-07-12T13:36:00","slug":"the-sound-of-the-soul","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/bibleandculture\/2008\/07\/the-sound-of-the-soul.html","title":{"rendered":"The Sound of the Soul"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a> <\/p>\n

N.B. This is a small selection from my forthcoming book of metaphysical poetry with commentary entitled The Living Legacy by myself and Julie Noelle Robertson. It is a work arranged according to the church year, and intended for spiritual formation. Enjoy. BW3
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THE SOUND OF THE SOUL<\/span><\/p>\n

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The sound of the soul<\/p>\n

At the speed of light<\/p>\n

Passed through my brain<\/p>\n

And into the night.<\/p>\n

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Stifling silence<\/p>\n

Sensing the sigh<\/p>\n

Feeling the longing<\/p>\n

Wanting to cry.<\/p>\n

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The sound of the soul,<\/p>\n

Like a get away train<\/p>\n

Doppler effect<\/p>\n

Plaintive refrain.<\/p>\n

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Listening intently<\/p>\n

Longing to know<\/p>\n

Who am I really?<\/p>\n

And does it show?<\/p>\n

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The sound of the soul<\/p>\n

Like a voice in a well<\/p>\n

Echoing always<\/p>\n

Clear as a bell.<\/p>\n

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Tuning the instrument<\/p>\n

Assessing the tone<\/p>\n

Looking for harmony<\/p>\n

Searching alone.<\/p>\n

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The sound of the soul<\/p>\n

Out of the depths<\/p>\n

Heart cry towards heaven<\/p>\n

Wordless precepts.<\/p>\n

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\u201cBy him we cry Abba\u2026<\/p>\n

Groaning within<\/p>\n

Awaiting adoption<\/p>\n

Release from all sin\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe Spirit assists us<\/p>\n

With sighs double deep<\/p>\n

Interceding with Abba<\/p>\n

My soul to keep.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Jan. 7, 2006<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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THEOLOGICAL MUSINGS<\/p>\n

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<\/span>This poem, somewhat like \u2018Something Deep Inside\u2019 is an attempt to express the search for the ever illusive inner or true self. <\/span>Beyond all the facades, charades, and personas, there is a real self, created in the image of God. <\/span>The Greek philosophers of <\/span>course urged \u2018Know Thyself\u2019, <\/span>but from a Christian point of view this is a difficult task, not least because sin and self-centeredness impede the search. <\/span>Occasionally one gets a glimpse of the inner self, but it is fleeting, like the sound of a train going by, or the glimpse of the back of someone as they run by in haste. <\/span>One of the things I am suggesting in this poem is that the Holy Spirit who dwells within knows us better than we know ourselves, and not only can illuminate us on this and other subjects, but also can articulate for us what is really down deep inside, what our real heart\u2019s cry is.<\/p>\n

<\/span> <\/span>I am also suggesting in this poem that there is an art or craft to getting to know one\u2019s self, and that beyond progressive sanctification and illumination by the Spirit there is also the need for us to hone our craft, be intentional about the odyssey of self discovery, not as if we should be like Narcissus staring into the pool at our own reflection, but rather seeking out the particular shape the image of God takes in us. <\/span><\/p>\n

C.S. Lewis in his last, and some would say greatest literary work Until We Have Faces <\/u>explores in depth what it means to become a whole self, and so to know one\u2019s self without posturing or personas. He intimates it is a painful journey to take off the masks and see ourselves as we really are. <\/span>And since we are complex beings we may well ask, which self. <\/span>Is it the public or the private self? Is the best self actually the real self, or only a pretender? <\/span>And since personality grows and develops, at least in its self-expression we may well realize that we are talking about a moving target here. <\/span>Indeed the New Testament suggests this very thing. <\/span>In texts like Romans 8.28-30 or 2 Cor. 3-4 it suggests we are gradually being transformed and conformed to the image of God\u2019s Son, a process that will not be completed until we reach the eschaton and we get our resurrection bodies. <\/span>Until then, we are always a work in progress. <\/span>Notice that according to Rev. 6 this is even true in heaven. The saints under the altar are cranky, crying out— How long? <\/span>They are given robes and the implication is they need to hush and be patient. <\/span>As Lewis would put it, we do not fully have faces until we face Christ in person. Short of that we need to regularly take stock, to face ourselves, realizing we see in a glass darkly at this juncture.<\/p>\n

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Spiritual Meditations<\/span><\/u><\/b>:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Sound of the Soul\u201d<\/h2>\n