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Single-Souled Living

Our spiritual allegiance must not be divided

As a woman, when I hear the expression “double-minded,” I chuckle. I wish I had only two things on my mind. When I switch off the alarm in the morning, my brain flashes at least a dozen to-dos. Two would be a piece of cake.

For the past few months I have been spending time in the book of James. I like James; I always have. I like that James is plainspoken and doesn’t mince words. He starts out his book by accusing Christians of being “double-minded,” a bold term that James alone uses in the New Testament. Toward the end of the book, in case his readers might have missed it, he brings it up again.

Despite my private joke, I don’t think James is referring to the mental juggling of two ideas. Instead I think he is talking about much bigger stakes; some Bible scholars even propose that a more accurate translation is double-souled.

Perhaps I could poke fun at “double-minded,” but “double-souled” is a different matter. I often live my life double-souled, my spiritual allegiance divided. Akin to ordering a half-caff latte at Starbucks, one part God to one part Lesa, it seems a sensible partnership to me. James disagrees. In fact, James uses ugly words to describe Christians who live this way. They are words that I don’t like to use, such as war and murder. Then James goes for The Scarlet Letter: he labels double-minded living as adultery. He goes so far as to call such a person “an enemy of God.” I don’t want to be God’s enemy.

John Ortberg, in his book Soul-Keeping, describes this phenomenon as being split-souled or having an un-centered soul. If I am honest, my soul is often un-centered, split between many gods.

Draw Near to God

Thankfully, James also offers a solution for how to reengage in a single-souled relationship with God. Near the end of his book, my plainspoken friend James surprises his readers with an almost Shakespearean line of poetry: “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” (James 4:8, NASB)

I grew up with the King James Version of the Bible. I remember hearing in Sunday School, “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.” I had no idea what nigh meant, but it sounded like something from Romeo and Juliet, so it stuck in my head.

Nigh simply means close, not far away—like when my little sister Beth and I were young and slept together in the same bed. We couldn’t get any closer, especially in the middle of the night, when we heard noises in the bushes outside our windows. We pressed our backs together and squeezed hands. Near.

With God who is spirit, this closeness is in the spiritual sense. I know when I have drawn nigh to God. For me, the closeness is often found outdoors. I sense God’s presence better under a tree or by my neighborhood pond. I realized this when my dad opened the trunk of my car and asked why there was a foldable Wal-Mart lawn chair in there. I answered, “You never know when you might drive by a park and want to stop and sit a while.” I had not consciously thought about it before, but I now realize this is one way I draw near to God.

James shares an unfathomable truth: When the God of the universe sees our feeble attempts at living single-souled, he draws near to us. He comes in close. The Apostle Paul gives us further assurance in Acts 17:27: “[God] is not far from any one of us.”

It makes me wonder why I don’t draw near more.

I have moved into a new phase of life. I am now a grandmother to my sweet granddaughter, Lucy. Grandmothering Lucy has taught me much about single-souled living. I had a day off a few weeks ago and, as always, I was juggling the dozens of things in my mind. At 8:00 am my son Matt called­—to tell me Lucy had been sick in the middle of the night and to ask if I could watch her for a few hours until he could get home from work.

I said, “Of course!” I never even considered saying no. By comparison my to-do list seemed ridiculously unimportant. I also know from experience that being with Lucy is a single-souled delight. I draw her in as near as I can; I cannot get her in tight enough.

What would it look like if, just for today, we chose to live single-souled for God by drawing him in near and not keeping him at a distance? Just one day. What if?

God Will Draw Near to You

For those times when we don’t feel worthy to be anywhere near God, seventeenth-century minister Matthew Henry offers some hope. He writes, “Those that draw nigh to God in a way of duty shall find God drawing nigh to them in a way of mercy. Draw nigh to him in faith, and trust, and obedience, and he will draw nigh to you for your deliverance.”

My prayer: “Gracious God, I have no idea why you draw near to me, but I am eternally grateful that you do. Renew my desire to draw near with a single soul to you.”

For further conversation:

• What causes you to live double-souled in your relationship with God?

• The Apostle James says that the God of the universe desires to draw near to you. How does that make you feel?

• What are ways that you enjoy drawing near to God?

Lesa Engelthaler is a senior associate for Victory Search Group, assisting nonprofit organizations to recruit executive leaders. Friend her on Facebook: Lesa Shackelford Engelthaler or follow her on Twitter: @lengelthaler.


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