Caring For Your Soul

Many people strive to achieve and gain many things in life. I remember back when I was a college student that the business school had a theme emphasis once a year to highlight the importance of business and the business school. That particular year the theme was "Success" and the banner flown outside the business school depicted a fist full of money above the word success. Many people think that having lots of money equals success. God has a different idea. Joshua 1:8 ⁸Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.¹ In God's economy success is the direct result of meditating on God's Word and applying it to our lives. Wisdom is defined as skillful living. Skillful living takes place when we know the truth and live it out in our lives. The wise person will care for their soul. Living in this manner is not just Godly, it is also makes a whole lot of sense!

Matthew 16:21-26 ²¹From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. ²²Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!” ²³Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” ²⁴Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. ²⁵For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. ²⁶What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?²

This raises the question, "What are you doing for your soul?" If your soul is of ultimate worth, being who you are, then what are you doing about it? Are you nurturing it or ignoring it? It is like a plant that needs tender care and attention. Just last night we were talking about this very thing with a friend of ours. We were given an orchid as a wedding favor and asked her if she knew anything about orchids. She mentioned that she had one once, but had to be out of town for a month or so and when she returned it was completely dead. It died for lack of attention. Our souls will whither up without the right kind of attention. So what are you doing to carve out some time and space in your life for God, so He can nurture your soul? For God is found in silence and solitude.

Things That Help Restore Vitality To Our Souls³

• Music
• Reading
• Building friendships
• Enjoying nature
• Silence & Solitude
• Prayer
• Journaling

¹ Joshua 1:8, NIV.
² Matthew 16:21-26, NIV.
³ Jeff & Mindy Caliguire, Write for your Soul: The Whys and Hows of Journaling (Norwood, MA: Soul Care Communications, 1998), 5.