The human soul runs deep and is very responsive to the highs and lows of this life. As such, we should become very curious when it seems our soul has grown numb. Perhaps this is a needed time of rest, but it might also be a sign that we’re allowing our heart to grow hard.
To be sure, some seasons of life are more draining than others. And after a particularly intense season we might no longer feel like ourselves. Things that brought us joy before just don’t seem to resonate as much anymore.
The numbness here might just be a clue of our need to rest. For instance, after a major breakup or loss, or even after a new promotion or exciting transition, our soul often needs time to recalibrate. And this time of adjustment might be experienced with a sense of emotional flatness. It’s a soul winter – a time of rest in between the old and the new. As such, there’s nothing to fix per se. We simply allow the winter to be – trusting spring will come again at just the right time.
At other times, numbness might be in reaction to the hurt and pain we’ve experienced. After work, marriage, friendships, or the like have let us down, we seek to avoid future pain by killing our desires and settling into mere complacency. But we cannot shut our heart down in one area and not have it eventually affect the rest. As such, we slowly grow hard-hearted and lose our sensitivity to joy. Goodness and beauty can be all around us but we’ve lost our ability to receive it.
Starting small we must once again allow our souls to be saturated with joy. Of course, there’s still the risk of being hurt again. But the good life allows for this – a sober joy that accepts both the ups and the downs of life.
In the end, listen and give your soul the rest it needs when it’s otherwise exhausted. But don’t allow yourself to become hard-hearted. Let the good and the bad of this life continue to touch you deeply.
Photo by Robert Murray on Unsplash
