The differing functions of the soul and mind.

Pray for all those who do harm. Pray for those who do not reflect God’s light strongly. Pray that their souls will be strengthened, and that evil will have a weaker grasp upon the actions of the body.

The legal solutions to the problems of crime respond to the actions taken, not to the individuals’ souls. It is for you to respond to those souls. It is your act of faith. Exercise it, strengthen it. Seek more opportunities for exercising your faith. Look for ways of giving it growth, for nourishing it, and testing it. Don’t expect that faith only comes through a kind of intellectual understanding. Faith is a function of the soul. Understanding is a function of the mind. The soul and the mind are vastly different, so do not confuse the actions of one with the territory of the other. Through understanding you may gain a sense of confidence, but it is rightly the growth, the strengthening, the brightening of your soul which contributes to the broadening of your faith.

Such strengthening, such growth, cannot be accomplished without your effort. Therefore, look for those opportunities. You will see the confirmation of that faith at some later time. Remember those instances when faith was your only response, and then recognize, yes, God did answer the prayer. God was the justification for that faith.