I heard a story not long ago about John Quincy Adams. Thomas Jefferson wrote him, inquiring of his well-being. John Adams was about 80 at the time, his walking wasn’t very good, and he was having a hard time seeing. I was so touched and encouraged by his response. He communicated so well how our spirit – our soul – our essence – who we really are – is quite separate from our physical condition. We can be very well, while our physical health isn’t so great.
John Adam wrote, “Thank you for asking. John Quincy Adams is well, sir, quite well indeed. I thank you so very much. But the house in which he lives at present is in disrepair. It is tottering upon the foundations. Time and the seasons have taken their toll upon it. Its roof is pretty well worn out, its walls are cracked, and it trembles when the wind blows. This old house is becoming almost uninhabitable, and I think John Quincy Adams will have to one day move out; but he himself is quite well, sir, quite well indeed. How very kind you are to ask.”
What a beautiful way to express that our souls in Christ are healthy, vibrant, and alive, even as our body is fading. My soul is evergreen! This world may cause my body to fade, but it cannot touch my soul, my essence, my inner self without my permission.
2 Corinthians 5:1 describes our earthly body as a tent. “For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” This tent, when we are in Christ, houses an Evergreen soul. Yes, physically we may be fading, but spiritually we are blooming!
Focus on the bloom – that’s where the beauty is found.