As your lungs need pure air, your soul needs pure spirit. As your lungs need protection from air pollution, your soul needs protection from external pollution. For you to remain in good health, it is important that your lungs receive fresh air, not just be spared polluted air. Equally, your soul, besides being spared of inner and external pollution, must also breathe in the Holy Spirit to remain in good health.
The soul cannot be idle. The soul without the Holy Spirit can go in any direction: it can love but be unfaithful; it can work but be misdirected; it can belong, but wrongly. Dissolving in God anchors your soul. The unanchored soul seeks harbor elsewhere: in money, sex, drugs, alcohol, fame, and power. God is the only safe harbor. The Holy Spirit guides your soul, at times energizes it, at times contains it, but always shows it the path to salvation.
Constantly remind yourself to breathe in the Holy Spirit, even after it becomes as natural and spontaneous as breathing air. This breathing in may initially take the form of worship and prayer. Later, it may occur in simple contemplation, such as sitting in a quiet sanctuary or humming a hymn.
