Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Matthew. 11:28-30
Most of us are familiar with the hymn, “It is Well with My Soul.” Last Sunday morning James mentioned he realized after pondering the question, “How is it with your soul?” that his soul was neglected. Many of us can relate. Your soul can be described as the hidden, deepest or spiritual part of you, the essence of who you are. Through soul care we follow the Spirit’s work in transforming our interior world to become more like Christ. As Acts 17:28 says, “For In him we live and move and have our being.”
The CDC has suggested ways to engage in self-care at this time: hand washing, social distancing, sneezing and coughing into a tissue, disinfecting, etc. Are we as diligent to engage in soul care? It’s likely to look different for each of us, but we can all benefit from routine. Our routines have been disrupted by sheltering in place. Many of us are trying to establish new rhythms. Let’s try to establish a rhythm that is careful to control our media intake and includes soul care – time for solitude with God, aligning ourselves with Him, being intentionally attentive to Him. This will often involve scripture reading and prayer. Try including praise, confession and thanksgiving before heading into your requests of God. He wants to hear what’s on our hearts, but we also need to ground ourselves on the Solid Rock, our Refuge and Fortress, so it’s helpful to start with adoration. Consider ending your prayer time with silence, listening for God’s response. Time spent with God is about being present, enjoying His presence, not always trying to “get something out of it.” So much of our day we try to be efficient or productive. We try to switch gears when we spend time with God. We quiet ourselves and the noise of our lives to hear and notice God and pay attention to our interior world. We sit in His gaze, accept His love, grace and redemption.
I will give suggestions for soul care again next Thursday, but meanwhile, ask the Lord to show you new ways to experience and engage with Him during this particular point in time. After all, He knows you best. As we experience our Lord more and more, especially in this time of shelter in place, our hope grows.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13