I ran through the Philadelphia airport, sprinting after a purse-snatcher. I finally got close enough to tackle him. We wrestled to the ground, and then a searing pain roared at me from my right pelvis. The cops got their man, and I got wheeled onto an airplane bound for Nashville.
At least, that's how the story should have read. All my co-workers agree it makes for a better, more exciting account than the simple truth: I tripped over an untied shoelace and fell over my own feet. The date was August 7, 2011. I have a fractured right sacrum and a slow healing process, which leaves lots of time for reflection.
Did you know that the word sacrum comes from the same root as "sacred"? The sacrum was thought to be the "seat of the soul." I guess all these years, I've been sitting on my soul!
As the Bible has been translated into language groups around the world, the soul has changed locations in the human body. Although some people think of it as found in the stomach and the intestines, most Westerners tend to identify its location with the heart (at least metaphorically). I've often wondered how un-churched individuals react the first time some well-meaning Christian asks them to accept Christ "into your heart." How does Jesus get in? Does He live in the right or left ventricle? Can an MRI pick Him up?
Of course, we evangelicals don't mean Jesus literally comes to live in our hearts. It's much more comprehensive than that! When someone asks Jesus to be Savior and Lord, He takes over "kit and caboodle." One of the earliest Christian identifiers was the statement, "Jesus is Lord." That's the equivalent of owner, Master—the one who calls the shots. Think about the implications the next time you say, "Yes, I've invited Jesus 'into my heart.'"
Saturday, August 27, 2011
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