We spend much of our lives focused on the body. We eat clean, exercise, do the brain exercises, and all the other aspects of the billion-dollar business of thinking we can live longer. We no longer think in terms of lifespan but focus our energies on healthspan.
And yet, when we face the end of our lives—which we all do, what do we think about? We are not concerned about our weight, our muscle mass, our numbers. We reflect on our lives and what mattered. We wonder about our legacy. But most of all, we begin thinking about our destination.
What someone believes about what happens after their last breath trumps all other thoughts. They examine what they believe and why. It becomes a source of comfort for many; it becomes a source of great doubt for others.
As a doctor, I’ve seen this shift in countless patients. It’s not about how many birthdays they’ve had—but whether they’ve lived them well. Whether they’ve made peace with God, with others, and with their own soul.
But what even is the soul?
Science has wrestled with this question. Some claim it doesn’t exist, reduced to a “function of our parts.” But that doesn’t explain the yearning, the consciousness, the persistent mystery of self. Even the origins of psychology—“psukhe” in Greek—mean soul, spirit, life, breath.
Faith gives us a better story.
We are souls with bodies—not the other way around. And our souls outlast this life.
I dive into this deeply in Anticipating Heaven, because understanding the soul reframes how we live and how we die. And if you’ve never reflected on the state of your soul, I invite you to start now. Use the book as a guide, or simply reach out. I would love to walk with you as you explore what it means to live—and die—whole.
Because the soul is not a theory. It is who you are.
