“At first the room was silent,” Mindy said. “Then somebody
ventured, ‘anxiety,’ and I knew they ‘got it’ (not every group
does). Once started, I couldn’t write their answers on the flipchart
fast enough. They called out self-absorption,shame,apathy, toxic
anger,chronic fatigue,lack of confidence,isolation,no compassion,self-
oriented,drivenness,loss of vision. Minutes later, every square inch
of the page was crammed with words
describing soul neglect. A sad feeling
hovered over the room as many of
these leaders, ‘weary of well-doing,’
saw themselves in the mirror.
“Then, with much relief, we turned the page and I asked the
opposite: ‘What emerges in your life when your soul is healthy?
When you’re connected with God?’
“This page also filled up quickly: love,joy,compassion,generos-
ity of spirit,peace,ability to trust,discernment. These words, too, got
crammed into every inch of white paper. Heads nodded in
acknowledgment as individuals recalled seasons of life when this
was their experience. Boundlessness,creativity,vision,balance,focus.
All in all, a pretty desirable list.
“Then I brought it to a vote. Holding up the Soul Neglect list,
I asked, ‘Who votes for this?’ Everyone laughed! No one in their
right mind would choose to live this way.”
Then Mindy pointed out that every day, each of us is voting
for one or the other of these two lists.
Deepen a Dry Well
Bill Leslie was an inner-city pastor and community organizer.
We talked to him shortly before his sudden and unexpected death
several years ago. We asked him about the spiritual power needed
to be a community leader in a tough neighborhood in Chicago.
He told us that over the years, he felt continuously worn
down in his efforts to alleviate suffering, fight poverty, and per-
severe despite the crime and violence that permeated his neigh-
borhood. One day when discouragement and conflict caused him
to hit bottom, he made an appointment with a nun, Ann Wilder,
Plugging into Continuous VoltagePrayer is a summit meeting in the
very throne room of the universe.
There is no higher level.
RALPH HERRING