Week Nineteen, 2026
“And as her soul was departing (for she was dying), she called his name Ben-oni; but his father called him Benjamin.” (Genesis 35:18)
“Almost everyone has a soul injury,” says hospice nurse Deborah Grassman.
She defines the condition as: “a wound that separates a person from their real self, caused by un-mourned loss and hurt, unforgiven guilt and shame, and fear of helplessness or loss of control.” We repress those injuries, deny them, and hide them – even from ourselves.
If you want to live your best life, Grassman writes in her new book, Soul Injury, you have to stop lying to yourself. Examine your pain. Forgive yourself, she says. Her book has become the touchstone for discussion groups across the world.
Here are 10 questions Grassman says to ask yourself to start healing:
- What suffering in your life has been in vain because you have not yet reckoned with it?
- In what ways are you being unfaithful to yourself?
- What feelings do you tend to numb?
- If you died today, what would be left unsaid or undone?
- Does it make sense to feel guilty if you had no control?
- How might others describe you? How closely does that match your own self-description?
- Do you tend to hide your light or your dark side?
- How would your world be different if you chose to forgive?
- Who have you wronged?
- When was the last time you said, “I’m sorry”?
In the Bible, the “soul” refers to the whole person—a living, breathing, physical being—rather than a disembodied immortal essence. It signifies the center of life, emotions, and consciousness, encompassing both physical and spiritual dimensions that are created by God and integrated with the body. It is defined as the whole person—a combination of the physical body and the divine breath of life—rather than just an immaterial part. It represents a person’s life, consciousness, emotions, and eternal nature, which is created by God and continues to exist after the physical body dies, returning to Him.
Remember, the two things that never cease are the soul of the person and the Word of God. Have you gotten your soul in shape for eternity?
Sometimes True Stories
The legendary actor and comedian Dick Van Dyke recently became a centenarian. He explains his longevity simply: he keeps a positive outlook and never gets angry. Scientists agree with his theory.
In one study, people who were optimistic lived between 11 and 15 percent longer than their pessimistic counterparts. In another, those who were more optimistic were more likely to live into their nineties than pessimists.
Research shows that chronic stress and anger are linked to an increased risk of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes—diseases that account for roughly 75 percent of early deaths. Stress is also linked to cellular aging. And researchers studying stroke survivors have found that optimism lowers chronic inflammation, leading to less severe strokes and less physical disability.
However, you and I didn’t need scientists to tell us what we innately understood: that happier people are typically healthier people. If only knowing and doing God’s will were so obvious and intuitive.
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COMMENTS FROM EDGAR APONTE: God is our friend through Jesus. It is a beautiful relationship. Friends choose one another. Human relationships without God are shallow. A friend will harm you as he helps you. A true friend confronts you. Make no friendship with one prone to anger. A friend points you to wisdom. A friend sticks closer than a brother. A true friend walks in when others walk out. Be a friend to others. A true friend stays when everyone else walks away. Jesus is a true friend. A true friend is God’s gift to help us grow in wisdom; be that friend to others. A True Friend Loves. A True Friend Confronts. A True Friend Sanctifies. A True Friend Stays.
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Anatoly is a slightly built weightlifter who goes into a gym disguised as a janitor. He asks to lift a heavy barbell while the huge, muscled men warn him not to, as he will hurt himself. Then, to their amazement, he deadlifts 800 pounds with ease. They thought he was weak, but he was strong.
Jesus doesn’t say that in trusting Him we can be physically strong like Anatoly. Jesus says we can be strong in other ways. For His sake, we are able to do the right thing in all situations. We are able to resist sin like never before. We are able to stand up for truth and share it wherever we go.
So, believer, use the Grace given to you by Jesus Himself and stand strong against the enemy. Be an Anatoly. — Rich Jensen
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WORDS ON WISDOM FROM EDGAR APONTE: Wisdom is knowing what is right and applying it. How you approach work reveals whether you are working in wisdom or folly. Whatever has been entrusted to us must be done in love and wisdom. Approach work with duty, discipline, and diligence. You can’t lead others if you cannot lead yourself. The good news is that Jesus has done the work for you. We come to Him for meaning and significance. We don’t have significance because we are Christians but because we have trusted Jesus.
Quotes You Can Use
The greatest cure for discouragement is to get busy doing God’s work.
Peace is the presence of God, not the absence of conflict.
Our walk with God should always be progressing.
Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop.
All of God’s tests are OPEN BOOK! It’s called the Bible! — Dwight Short
If we have to choose between exercising humility and being right, exercise humility; we can always be right.
Half-hearted commitment will never result in total victory.
How different things look when our spiritual eyes are opened.
Heaven won’t be filled with good people. It will be filled with forgiven sinners who repented and trusted Jesus alone.
I want my house to be in order before the Lord calls me home.
People say I’m the luckiest guy… but luck had nothing to do with it; God had everything to do with it. — Chuck Norris
If you have a relationship with Jesus, God guarantees your future, no matter what.
The church does not determine what the Bible teaches. The Bible determines what the church must teach.
Worship is no longer worship when it reflects the culture around us more than the Christ within us.
No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot. — Mark Twain
If you can keep your head while all those around you are losing theirs, chances are you don’t understand the situation! — Wayne Short
If we truly believe and have faith in Christ, the solution is simple: pray and ask God to help us change. Nothing is impossible with God.
When we consider who God is and what He has done for us, how can we do less than offer Him our best?
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