Soul Care requires a long, careful, and wise look at our capacity. The myth says, “Capacity doesn’t matter. Just keep going full steam and in fifth gear!” The lie says, “You don’t matter.”
When we are not aware of our capacity, then we neglect our whole life. We forfeit our soul. We breathlessly run our lives on empty. We become doers, which is fine and good—but not at the expense of our souls.
There are two words that seem to define so many people today: Urgency and Emergency. Let me explain.
Urgency is an internal discombobulating feeling we experience when we face competing demands and rivaling priorities. Everything and everyone seem to be important—and it’s urgent that we be available—urgent that we take their call and respond to their text right away.
Soul Care is caring for the whole person. Every part of our lives matters. Everything about us needs care. Everything that is alive needs and requires care. Plants, animals, our bodies and our souls need care to thrive. You are not the exception. We cannot live our lives on auto-pilot—running our lives on empty feeling tired, depleted and upset and call this experience—the abundant life.
By Stephen W. Smith
In the 4th century AD, Gregory of Nyssa wrote these words, “Sin is the refusal to grow.” Often we think of sin as things we do or acts we commit or omit that get us into trouble in our spiritual life. But I’m so thankful to discover Gregory of Nyssa’s remarkable words: “Sin is the refusal to grow.” It makes a lot of sense to me to believe that to not grow or to choose to not keep growing is a huge mistake.
To stay the same; to remain fixed in our dogmas can be a detriment to our spiritual health and vitality. We were created to grow, not just physically but emotionally and in all things spiritual. All education is the effort to grow our minds and hearts into a fuller understanding of the truth. It may be as simple as this, the truth does not change but our understanding of the truth must change as we grow, mature and age. What is true is this, the spiritual life is a journey—a journey where we awaken time and time again to deeper understanding.
In a single verse, we are privy to what Mary actually did—after she was told that she was going to have a baby and that her baby would have a sacred role in God’s plan for humanity.
We see in Mary’s response an action that is beautiful, humble and meaningful. She doesn’t rush around telling her closest friends what has happened. She doesn’t make a plan. She doesn’t fret, worry or let her nerves get the best of her.
Mary’s heart reveals two needed postures in today’s frenzied world with 24/7 news in the ever-ready, always on world we live in today. Mary “treasures” the information she has been given. Then, Mary “ponders” it.
We live in a day and age where there is not much time to acknowledge grief and loss in our lives. After something devastating happens to us, we feel the need to move on; get over it; and press forward.
Whether it is a hurricane, death of a loved one or major crisis in a church or business, we neglect our inner world to put “this” behind us and to keep on keeping on.
I am living in a “in-between time.” I have not fully arrived to the next place in my journey. It is a place of ‘betwixt and between.’ It is a hard place. It is a nominal space—a space that native American Indians called, “crazy time.” I understand that. When you live in an “in-between time”-- it feels crazy. Nothing seems to make sense—even God. Such places--such seasons of life can leave us torn, tired and weary. We can feel like something is going to happen--but not yet.
“At once, this same Spirit pushed Jesus out into the wild. For forty wilderness days and nights he was tested by Satan. Wild animals were his companions, and angels took care of him.”—Mark 1:12
How is it that in one single verse, Mark explains the journey of the spiritual life? It’s fascinating to simply sit with this solitary verse recorded in Mark’s Gospel and to sense the movement, undertaking and activity that Jesus experienced. Friends, in this one, single verse, there is a great movement that needs to be understood. I say “movement” because the spiritual life is a journey from one movement or place in life to the next. We never stay static. We are invited to always be learning; always be growing and always being transformed.
Out there, just over the horizon, a storm is brewing. This storm is not a political storm. It is not a cultural war. It is a storm brewing deep within the soul of many leaders who serve in the marketplace or ministry arenas. We cannot see the storm now—at least our own storm—but it is brewing.
Due to the Internet and social media, we hear of storms taking down leaders and leaving carnage and havoc in their spheres of influence. It is a hidden, present danger that confronts leaders in the marketplace and ministry. It is what I call the perfect storm of leadership.
The world we are living in is one that is physical; driven by thoughts and ideas; divisive politics and powerful personalities. This is a world that is empirically validated: What we “see” is what there is; What we “touch” and what or who touches us is what matters. What we have judged to be true is what we believe is actually true. Some of us believe doctrine more than we believe in God. We may go to church and speak of church more than we speak of encounters or experiences with Jesus. In our time hurried and fast culture, we want facts and we want them now-- short, succinct and bullet point if possible.
