When I’m needing a little pick me up, yes, a hot cup of coffee or some dark chocolate will do. But long-term? There’s not enough chocolate in all of Hershey, PA to get the job done.
I can fill my days and weeks with lots of self-care that is sure to leave my body and mind well-rested, but soul care is what’s going to get me through when I don’t have time for a hot shower and a girls’ night out.
Soul care is the kind of self-care that I truly need.
I need to be drenched in His presence. I need to be lavished by His great love for me. I need to be reminded of how much I need Him and how only He can fill those deep caverns in my heart. The ones that get carved out by this broken world.
I need to spend time singing his praises more than I need anything else.
I need to bend a knee more than I need five minutes alone.
I need a cultivated prayer life more than I need a hobby.
I need to read the world’s all-time best seller more than the one that sits on top of the New York Times list.
I’ve got fruits of the spirit that will dry up and wither away if I don’t spend time by the water.
I’ve got soul work to do, friends.
I’ve got weaknesses that need His strength.
I’ve got a thirst that can only be quenched by Him.
I’ve got parts of my heart that are as arid as the desert and I need Him to breathe on them.
I’ve got children who need a mom who has been with the King.
I’ve got a husband who needs the kind of love only that can bring.
I’ve got a house to run and people to feed and lives to cherish and a work load that never runs empty, and if I’m not spending time with the One who purposes my heart, I can very easily forget how very blessed I am.
Soul care requires discipline. The kind that comes from seeking His face when all I really want to do is seek the laundry pile so I don’t fall behind. It requires calling to mind His word when I’m struggling to keep it together and not yell at the top of my lungs. It takes carving out a few minutes throughout the day to pursue His will and not mine.
But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. – Isaiah 40:31