Originally published Thursday, 19 June 2014.
I invite you today to come along with me on a journey. Put on your well worn shoes, the soles that have taken you down twisting and turning paths and explore the depths of your soul. As we journey on, let the well worn soles remind us where we have been, remind us of life that adds to or depletes our very soul. As we journey on, let God gently take your hand and lead you toward His everlasting love and healing. Let Him whisper into your soul with Truth and wisdom.
Won't you come down the path of this Soul Care journey?
Soul...the depths of yourself. The inner being. Our individual essence. The deep spaces within. Created by God. Created for God.
Care...tending to the deep spaces with in. Nestling up to the Creator. Letting Him nurture your being for wellness, joy, peace.
We often seek out well-meaning gurus of the "soul" to lead us down paths of self searching and actualization. Many in the world us this term soul. For us, our journey is not first about self searching but to seek after the ever caring Creator of our essence...our soul. This series is a compilation of my own journey of soul care in Jesus. Take it or leave it...but know...He cares for your soul. He cares for your well-being. For when we live in the ultimate essence of who God made us to be we glorify Jesus Himself! With a soul serving and loving The Lord, we point His beautiful light toward the darkness within the hearts of others. His light heals. His Truth abounds. His beauty brings peace.
Today's Soul Care Scripture:
The one who loves this life will lose it, and the one who despises it in this world will have life forevermore.Anyone who serves Me must follow My path; anyone who serves Me will want to be where I am, and he will be honored by the Father. (John 12:25-26 The Voice)
I moped around. I sat around. I felt sorry for myself. It was pitiful.
This was a year of my life where my soul felt empty. Newly married, not strong in my faith whatsoever and having just sent my husband off to war, I was empty. After attempting retail therapy and spending too much money, I wish I could say that I realized my deprevation. I did know that I needed some sort of encouragement so I turned to my ever wise, red-headed Aunt Midge in Texas.
Sarah, you just need to get out an help someone that has it harder than you. Find someone to serve. Find someone to bless. You will get over yourself that way! You will feel better and stop moping!
That did the trick and gave me the proverbial kick in the pants I needed to get my life back in gear. I wish I could say that I immediately turned to Jesus to fill my depleted soul, but this advice was a great start. Scripture tells us that when we serve others, we are serving Jesus.
Taking care of your soul often requires that we say "no" to activities especially when we are physically and spiritually worn out. More on this another day. On the flip side, our soul is invigorated when we follow the one who created our very soul. He created us in His image an innate need for His presence. Our soul is fulfilled when we seek out where God is, where He is working--then serve Him right THERE.
The Scripture in John 12 reminds me that my soul finds fullness when I loose my life in Jesus and gain His LIFE abundant. The greek word for life in this verse is Zoe--meaning "absolute fullness of life in Christ."By serving Him, following Him down His path the depths of our very being finds where exactly it needs to be...where Jesus is.
Soul Care for everyday...
Go where He goes.
Listen to His voice.
Love who He loves.
Be honored by God Almighty. This is what we need to live in the fresh joy offered to us each day anew when we allow the caret taking of our soul to be handled by Jesus.
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