For the podcast episode (about 10 minutes)
Striving to love God with all my heart, I reflected on wholeheartedness and made a significant discovery. The tip of the iceberg is that wholeheartedness in its fullness is an experience of the soul, which implicitly includes the heart, mind, and strength. But what is the heart? And what is the soul, and how do we identify the soul in human experience? What is going on when we are half-hearted? And what can our own will-power contribute?
Are you associating will with soul?
Great question! Tough question. I think of will as a function of personality, unique, mysterious, changeless in the presence of change (and therefore good for all eternity if the person says yes with his/her life of faith to the invitation). Mind, soul, body–all these are components in the system which is unified by the decisions of the personality. The mind is the arena of choice–choosing this way, rather than that way, to realize this goal–but decision is a further exercise. And the mind can allow the soul to make the decision, which is a particularly sublime experience.
Wholeheartedness cannot be what it is without the full support of the will. In wholeheartedness the emotions of the material mind (where affection is supported by the parasympathetic nervous system and by serotonin, dopamine, and oxytocin) are harmonized with the dominant feelings of the soul. So the experience of wholeheartedness is primarily an experience of soul rather than mind.
How much clearer is this? (Smile) Do you have a view of such things that you would like to share? We could talk about soul in the context of the history of philosophy if you like.
Are you associating will with soul?
Great question! Tough question. I think of will as a function of personality, unique, mysterious, changeless in the presence of change (and therefore good for all eternity if the person says yes with his/her life of faith to the invitation). Mind, soul, body–all these are components in the system which is unified by the decisions of the personality. The mind is the arena of choice–choosing this way, rather than that way, to realize this goal–but decision is a further exercise. And the mind can allow the soul to make the decision, which is a particularly sublime experience.
Wholeheartedness cannot be what it is without the full support of the will. In wholeheartedness the emotions of the material mind (where affection is supported by the parasympathetic nervous system and by serotonin, dopamine, and oxytocin) are harmonized with the dominant feelings of the soul. So the experience of wholeheartedness is primarily an experience of soul rather than mind.
How much clearer is this? (Smile) Do you have a view of such things that you would like to share? We could talk about soul in the context of the history of philosophy if you like.
Happiness and Joy to all who hear your uplifting message, Jeff! Hearing your voice and listening to you words of truth make me smile. To do things in a half-hearted way is not the way to “the Heart” of God. It shows indifference and uncaring. To love God with one’s whole heart is always the most important way to “converse” with God!
Paula, you know whereof you speak. Good hearing from you!
Happiness and Joy to all who hear your uplifting message, Jeff! Hearing your voice and listening to you words of truth make me smile. To do things in a half-hearted way is not the way to “the Heart” of God. It shows indifference and uncaring. To love God with one’s whole heart is always the most important way to “converse” with God!
Paula, you know whereof you speak. Good hearing from you!