"The most powerful weapon on earth, is the human soul on fire.” The world we live in challenges us now more than ever to discover and embrace Soul Care. After my own health crisis and burnout, I quickly discovered that while my life had been quite full, my soul was actually quite empty. I knew God but I had a new longing to be with God. That longing for a life with God took over and I began training as a spiritual director and later as a yoga and meditation instructor. Both offer individuals an opportunity to practice being in the presence of God. Unfortunately, we can easily be so busy planning or "doing" ministry that the needs of our own soul become distant and lost. This is true for most individuals in ministry, whatever the ministry may look like. Without a real concentrated effort on care of the soul, we can easily lose sight of our calling and face discouragement and burnout. As a spiritual director, I meet with overworked pastors, stay-at-home parents, searching students, and exhausted care givers. Something that often stands out in our listening is this, God longs for to spend more time with us, caring for more for our souls and less about what we accomplish. God longs to care for the person you were created to be, no matter the demands of your daily life. Quite often I hear that soul care seems selfish or overrated and is the first to fall away when the demands of everyone else top our lists. But, put simply soul care is a mandatory part of being a servant of God. When your soul is on fire, you can not help but live a life with God. So, how do you kindle the fire in your soul? Dallas Willard says, "the secret for caring for our souls is Practicing the Presence” of God. So how do we not only teach practicing presence but fully live into it? How do we ignite this fire within us and keep it burning? How do we not let the stressors and realities of every day life extinguish the flame? Soul Care:
Soul Care does not mean we cease from activity and withdraw from life. It means we care for the very person God created so that we can continue to be the hands and feet of Christ in this world. It means that we find greater joy in the tasks of our ministry. It means we know God even more intimately and ourselves more deeply. It means we find both our fulfillment and our rest in our Creator. It means we truly are passionate servants of God. Is your soul on fire? Recently, we shared a meal with new friends. It was one of those fruitful times of conversation that linked lunch to dinner. By the time we got up from the table, we were due another meal. That is meeting at the table - literally. In the past couple of weeks, "lay it all out on the table” conversations have popped up with other friends in my life. And several of them expressed how challenging and lonely this world feels at times. It is ironic that in a society that is "connected" more than ever, many of us experience feelings of loneliness or isolation that often lead to depression. These feelings are more real than rare. My own periods of depression have stemmed from various chronic health conditions. The first of which began when I was 18 years old. I had Graves Disease, a thyroid disorder. To treat an overactive thyroid (one that made my heart and my head race) my thyroid was literally zapped. Today I no longer have a functioning thyroid. A little colorful pill awaits me every single morning. But those levels can be hard to regulate and fatigue and depression take center stage. And while these side effects that have come and gone over the last 20 years are real, this post is not about my health struggles. This is an invitation to come to the table with your struggles and hard work, to embrace God's activity in your story. Meeting at the table means you pull up a chair and tell that story. Meeting at the table means speaking truth. Meeting at the table means inviting others to join you there because you are not alone and they feel less alone in the process. Here is the thing, we all have something in our life that requires our hard work. My body just happens to need a lot of care and regular "maintenance." Any person with chronic health problems or autoimmune disorders will understand that statement. It requires commitment and sacrifices. And if you review our family’s budget, you’ll notice we spend far more on vitamins and vegetables than we do on cable or clothes. But let’s say your health is stellar and you don’t have to follow a regimen other than caring for the basics: you move, breathe, sleep, and eat. You don't need a crisis, everybody has something and you have a story to tell! Yep, you sure do. I think that’s where we miss out sometimes. We know God is in the sunsets, the miracles, the sounds of the ocean, and the birth of a new child and we're happy to talk about those. Yet we struggle to see God in the crises, the catastrophes, the losses, and even the hard work of every day life. Once we do recognize God in those places, we often don't want to talk about them. And when we don't talk about them (with God or with community), we're opting to journey alone. This life was not designed to be journeyed solo. Friends, we are not alone. God is amidst every single day, the hard ones and the less hard ones. Even the mundane ones. Anyone ever have a mundane day? If not, you can come do my laundry because there are baskets surrounding me most days. Laundry is mundane. There is a shirt in my dirty laundry that says "life is good" and I would agree with that statement but it is not easy. Both counseling and spiritual direction have helped me cope (with others, with myself, and with God) during very tough times on this journey. Meeting at the table means we are not alone. We are invited to no longer simply cope with life challenges but to truly acknowledge God's activity there. We EACH have a place at the table as we encourage and support one another on this journey. Start with being honest with yourself. Uncover your story, friends. Tell it. And while you're at it, listen to another story in the process. That is community. Will you meet me at the table? Pull up a chair. Bring your baggage and your junk, you're definitely not alone. Our family recently moved to a new home. During our transition I have come to better understand what a life of abundance we live. We have bags, shoes, and jackets for every member of the family and every season that comes our way. We have an abundance of books, treasured photographs, and other important memories. The abundance is flowing out of my laundry room and into our new (to us at least) garage. Our "new" home also has an abundance of surprises. So far we have flower bulbs popping up all over the yard. Every time I turn around, I notice an abundance of new greenery popping through the previously frozen ground. While not all blooms have appeared, there are hints of purple and white as the elegance of our newly discovered irises begin to come into bloom. I couldn’t have fathomed that our home would have such treasure awaiting us when it was purchased (amidst freezing temperatures and without a bloom in site). And while the abundance of our treasured materials and the abundance of my new favorite flower blooms, we celebrate the abundance of the other side of Easter. A time as Christians to feel the endless love of God in our lives as a fresh and new reminder. We are to continue living like Easter people. Like those blooming flowers, I’m reminded we only get a glimpse of all that Jesus has done for us in our lives while on this earth. As I prepared my new home to welcome those who will enter for times of private spiritual direction, I trimmed the dying monkey grass that abundantly lined our walkway. Yet it was not a dreaded chore. It was a reminder of the letting go of the old, the dying away of what has been, making room for what is to come this ongoing Easter season. Recently, a friend made a statement that I have continued to ponder. We were talking about old testament times and she asked a question “Can you imagine living in those times of Noah, without hope?" Just think, really imagine it, what it would have been like to live to be 900 years old and not have the abundant love and hope of what Easter promises us? The promise of Easter is abundantly more than we could hope for and far more than we can imagine. The promises God has made for us are actually unfathomable in abundance. They stack high above the boxes of my old photographs and they are far more beautiful than a new backyard full of blooms. God’s love, hope, and promises are true abundance. As we continue life on this side of Easter, let us remember that God’s love is abundant. It is all around us. Let us accept the call to simply notice it, receive it, and help others soak it up as well. Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine… Ephesians 3:20 NRSV |
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