How Is Your Soul Today?

Each week Bishop Clements of the Northern Illinois Synod holds a Zoom meeting for all the rostered leaders in the synod. There is no agenda…just checking in with each other. I attended the gathering last week and the question the bishop asked was, “How is your soul today?” I have to admit I haven’t thought about that lately. But when I did, I had to say, “my soul is doing okay.” Sure, there are lots of things swirling around us that we don’t understand. Things are going in our world that we’ve never experienced before. There is violence in our country like we’ve never seen before. When I thought about the bishop’s question, I realized that my soul is the part that connects with God. Sure, I may be worn out, stressed out, and frustrated. But the part that connects with God…my soul…is doing well.

You may have remembered me tell the back story of the hymn, “It is Well With My Soul.” It was written by Horatio Spafford, a prominent Chicago attorney. He lost all his business investments during the Great Chicago Fire. A couple years later, he decided to take a vacation in Europe. Because there was some business to attend to, he sent his wife and 4 daughters ahead on a ship. In the middle of the Atlantic their ship collided with another and it sunk. All four of Mr. Spafford’s daughters were killed. When she arrived in Europe, his wife sent a telegram saying, “Saved alone.” Several weeks later Mr. Spafford boarded a ship to join his wife. When they passed over the place where his daughters were believed to have died, he wrote the song: