WHAT IS A RUBBER SOUL?

Just about this time of year in 1965 I remember buying the Rubber Soul album by The Beatles. To this day it remains my favorite.

But I never knew what it meant. I still have no clue, so if you were expecting an answer, I'd suggest Google. And if it's some obscure reference to something else that should be obvious to me but is not, then feel free to comment and enlighten me.

But a soul is a soul is a soul. And I think it's good. In my NIV concordance, soul is defined as a "person's essential self; that part of a person that is eternal." There was no definition for rubber.

My favorite verse with soul in it is Psalm 62:5 "Find rest O my soul in God alone." And maybe that's where the rubber comes in.

The world will hit us with so many difficulties. It's just a part of living in a world stained from sin. We have to bounce back; we have to absorb the hits. You know, like rubber. Remember the children's retort to something bad said about them -- "I'm rubber; you're glue. Whatever bounces off me, sticks to you." We have to be that way, too, as adults. Have that bouncy soul that won't be injured, won't be altered.

Why? Because of our faith. Because of the peace we find in God alone. We are told to pray for our enemies. Then we can find rest. Then we can sing loudly, truthfully (and thankfully to the Beatles for coining the phrase rubber soul) "It's is well/with my soul/it is well/it is well/ with my soul."