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It took me years to grasp the concept of the trinity--the understanding that God is Father, Son, and Holy Ghost and that the three are one. I remember singing the song in Sunday school, “One God and only one and yet there are the three, Father, Son and Holy Ghost that make the Trinity…” It was easy to accept on faith, but trying to equate it in human terms always came with the familiar reply from a wise one who’d say, “Yes, but no…” Even if I do figure it all out, I’m sure that I’ll be pleasantly surprised when I finally stand face to face with my Maker and realize that my comprehension of God—limited by human capacity—was far less than that which He actually is. In like manner, God created men and women in three parts—spirit, body and soul with this request: “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Body, soul and spirit? Yes--soul and spirit. We humans are complex beings, and being that we’re women, we’re extremely complex, just ask my husband. I like quilts, but if he should buy me a quilt, it has to be 100% cotton, it has to look country or be jewel-toned, but not just any jewel-toned quilt, the pattern has to be just right. And let’s not even start talking about my wardrobe or we’ll be here all day! We all have different bodies, different likes and dislikes, different personalities, and different levels of tolerance, because we each have an overall thumbprint that makes us unique. Let’s look at the following diagram to better understand our tri-unity as a woman.
Some women like to bake, others like to sew, some like to plant flowers, and some prefer to slap a helmet on and throw football with the guys—that’s the soul. We’re Mary’s and we’re Martha’s, but it’s the soul that shapes us this way. The Greek word for soul is psyche. This is where our English word psychology comes from, meaning the science that deals with the study of the mind. It’s the mind and the personality with all of its likes and dislikes that make up the soul. Whereas the Spirit is the part of us where God resides. It’s much like Solomon’s temple—the outer-court, the inner-court, and the Holy of Holies. The Bible gives this comparison by saying, “Know ye not that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” To further understand our spirit, body and soul, let’s talk about each of them independently. Spirit We’re given one spirit at the moment of conception, which is what makes us very different from the animal kingdom. You accidentally knock a baby down and you’re going to feel bad, but should your cat do the same thing, she’ll likely leave the room with her one tail solute leaving an attitude trail. Moral code will tell a person that if their behavior isn’t hurting anyone it can’t be all that bad, in fact much of society rests on that idea assuming that moral code makes them an ideal citizen. Moral code serves its purpose in leading the mind of man, but it also serves its purpose in showing man that he will never be able to keep that code because we are born into sin and as human beings “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) This light on sin is the key factor in drawing men toward God where there is no condemnation because of the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ. This might sound a little confusing, but stay with me on this, and I promise it will all start to make sense. If we can stop for a minute to understand our spiritual make-up, we’ll begin to understand God’s plan for man, and more particularly His plan for your life. When we understand the role that our Spirit plays in our being we can start to nurture that Spirit and to feed it, which we also discuss each month in "Live Well." The Spirit we’re born with sets us apart from the animal kingdom, but there’s also a Spirit of adoption that sets us apart as holy unto God. “For you have not received the Spirit of bondage again to fear, but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.”(Romans 8:15-16) This is the Spirit of God we’re talking about--the one that knows the things of God. This Spirit is given to us the moment that we accept the plan of salvation, which is repentance of sin, and accepting Jesus Christ as the atoning sacrifice for our sin. It’s at that moment that God breathes new life into us, by the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead. “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God, that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.” (1 Corinthians 2:12) This Spirit given to believers is what is often referred to as the mind of Christ. And it’s those who follow this Spirit who are followers of Christ and as a result are free of condemnation and the punishment of sin.We’ll fail from time to time because we’re human, and if we didn’t fail we wouldn’t have need for Christ. But what makes believers different is that they get up from a fall, they turn their back on the world and they keep walking according to the will of God. Starting a diet or buying the newest shade of lipstick can’t recapture your womanhood. It might make you feel good on the outside, which is a natural part of your femininity, but the change must begin with the transformation of Spirit by the renewing of our minds. “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:2) Once we understand that perfect will of God, then we can apply it to our body and soul. Being beautiful and wanting things pretty is part of the chemical make-up we’re born with as women. We won’t excuse that part of ourselves--we’ll embrace it, but we’ll understand it by first understanding our spirit in relation to self. Having the mind of Christ doesn’t mean that we suddenly understand all things. There is still going to be areas in our life that God finds a way to shine light on, and when we do see the light we realize that we’re still an unfinished work. That's when it time to press on! Soul We’ve often heard the term “seeds” used synonymously with thoughts. Seeds of spiritual doubt, seeds of uncertainty, seeds of malice, and the like, are things that will stunt our growth as a Christian, should we let them continue in our thoughts. Seeds of love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance are seeds of truth that when watered and kept from the enemy bring forth good fruit and this good fruit brings health to your body and soul. You see where this is going? We’re working from the inside out. Proverbs 4:20-23 wisely instructs, “Dear friend, listen well to my words; tune your ears to my voice. Keep my message in plain view at all times. Concentrate! Learn it by heart! Those who discover these words live—really live; body and soul, they're bursting with health. Keep vigilant watch over your heart; that's where life starts.” Where’s your Bible; is it upstairs collecting dust, or is it sitting beside you waiting to be opened? Why not grab a pen and start underlining some of the scripture that we’ve been through so far, and while you’re at it, you may want to read that entire chapter of Proverbs. Proverbs chapter four is one of the most encouraging chapters on Bible reading, which instructs us to get wisdom and understanding through the Word. Now that your Bible is open, keep it near you at all times. Many strong women of faith keep a New Testament in their purse for those times when the bus is running late and they find they have a few minutes to spare, or they meet someone in a waiting room that needs a word of encouragement. Open it often and let the Spirit scatter seeds of truth in your heart that they might rest in your soul. The fruit of the Spirit doesn’t just give you a feeling of closeness to God. The fruit of the Spirit are visible attributes of a Christian life—attributes that help us put down that extra brownie, find joy in a hopeless situation, make peace with our husband, and love that woman who just snagged her fingernail on our last nerve ending. And that brings us to the matter of personality--the other characteristic of the soul. Some believe that personalities are born with a person, others believe that personality is shaped by the experiences we have throughout life. I tend to agree with both. I could sense the differences in my children early on in their lives, despite the fact that they were exposed to a similar lifestyle and situations, and I continue to see those personalities merge as they grow. These personalities are the things that attract us to other human beings, or in other cases the things that rub us the wrong way. Body Just as the Spirit is a great influence on the soul, the soul has an influence on the body. The mind in connection with the brain chooses to run, to walk, to sleep, etc. We are given a choice, and when the choice is made we act upon it. What few take time to consider is that the body is subject to the mind, and like a child our bodies need to be trained and disciplined. If we don’t teach a child to clean up their room, it will never get done. But if we do teach a child by repetition to clean their room every day after school, in time that child will walk in the door, go straight to their room and start picking up toys. The body is like that in many ways. For example if you went to bed every night at 10pm and woke up every morning at 6am (weekends too) within about three weeks, your body would set its internal clock and would begin to wake on its own. The good news is that it's the same way with most tasks. Practice them for about 21 days, and your body will except it as routine. This is how good habits are formed. Discipline is key. Society has swayed us to buy into the motto, “If it feels good do it!” Don’t sell yourself short. If you want real success in your life you need to live by this rather, “If it is good, do it.” Write that down, tape it to your fridge if you have to, but remember it. The reason that many women fail at their attempts for success is because they are waiting for that “just right” feeling to come over them before they step out to make a change. And if they do get that feeling, they quit the moment it’s gone. Your marriage will go through difficult times, dieting will get tough, addiction recovery can be painful, exercise will get boring, and the house cleaning won’t be glamorous. But those who succeed continue on despite how it feels. Peggy Grall, international business coach and author of Just Change It! Says, “There was a time when I thought things had to feel right for them to be right. I thought that unless I felt excited, motivated and ready or on track with the next step in a particular change plan, that I shouldn’t proceed. You want the truth? Often the next step in your change program won’t feel right… even when it is right. In fact sometimes it may be painful, boring or costly to take that next step.” Paul describes the benefits of discipline this way, “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” I hope this helps, sister. And with that I encourage you to live well!
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Bonnie 
