We are designed to be whole beings with all our physical, mental, relational and spiritual parts integrated into one functioning whole. Greek thought divided individuals into body, soul, and spirit with soul as a particularly difficult concept to define. Hebrew thought was simpler and to my mind superior. It focused on people as whole beings. In keeping with that kind of thought, I think of soul as that which is essentially us with all the parts that make up who we are: mind, body spirit, etc. Sometimes that wholeness is fuzzy when one part is out of focus but we are still whole beings seeking more focused wholeness. I realize I may be making this more confusing than helpful.Finally, I think it best to go back to the simple Hebrew notion that we are whole beings.If we get too analytical about our spirits or bodies we may be in danger of thinking only the spirit matters or only the body matters.We might neglect the wholeness that is the real us.All of us have known people who are out of balance like the athlete who when their prowess fades discovers they have neglected other parts of who they are or some of the desert saints who thought to gain spiritual strength by letting their bodies wither by neglect.If we keep our need for wholeness in mind, we may find more of the joy God intended for us when God created us as whole beings