“You don’t HAVE a soul; You ARE a Soul. You HAVE a body.” ~George MacDonald
If we want to live in peace and satisfaction amidst this world of chaos and fear, we’ve learned that the best “self-care” we can do is to develop good “soul-care“ habits. When I was asked by my friend to share my self-care habits, I didn’t envision a five-day devotional series. But I’m sure glad God allowed this process. Because as I’ve studied, He has revealed a gem of wisdom I had not considered; that is, the importance of passionately pursuing God’s rest. I’d never considered the connection between “unbelief” and losing rest. God has used this study to reveal the importance of regularly exercising supernatural faith in order to develop robust habits of belief and thus, learning to live in His rest.
The proof that we’ve entered into God’s rest is when He becomes the center of every aspect of our life—personal, professional, relational, play, and even our down-time. When we have the mind of Christ, He shows us the path of peace through the storm.
This applies to every area of our life.
For example, take work. Part of the underlying cause of burnout is a fundamental misunderstanding of the purpose of work. If the Bible is our source of truth, and we believe that we were “created in Christ Jesus to good works” (Ephesians 2:10), and the character and nature of God are revealed by HIS work (Psalms 19:1-4), then we should reflect HIS character and nature when we are working. We THEN understand that our purpose for work is not to survive or accumulate wealth, but rather to glorify Him. In fact, even if our work goal is to acquire wealth to “make a difference,” if we don’t understand our purpose, we will easily become discouraged, unfulfilled, and exhausted. Living in God’s presence frees us from the burden of living and working simply for survival. Work becomes a blessing instead of a curse. Ecclesiastes 3:12-13
God, as the center of our life, is transformational in every area of our life!
- Our leisure time produces more joy and peace because God has already satisfied our greatest expectations.
- Our exercise and healthy eating are acts of worship and stewardship of our God-given bodies and minds.
- We spend time with loved ones because God has called us to do this and He wants to bless us with fellowship and community.
- We play music to turn our hearts toward the Creator of all things good and beautiful.
- We meditate, not on ourselves and on our own ability to overcome our circumstances, but rather in knowing we can rest in God’s works and HIS promises.
Our concern for the care of our body becomes peripheral because supernatural faith allows us to have the great hope unseen by human eyes.
As we develop the mindset that Jesus is our center, He brings us into rest. We will never find rest as long as we are our center. But when we learn to de-activate our “me center”—He, as our Creator, pulls mind, body and soul into balance. His Spirit is the only force capable of balancing us against the forces of the enemy which are constantly working to unseat us!
My friend, we have a DEAD enemy—but a LIVING Savior!
So in closing out this series, I want to answer the question posed by my friend. What are the self-care habits which help me keep it all together through the chaos? Well, I promise, it’s probably not anything you’ve not heard before but—I promise—they work 100% of the time! They are:
- Daily morning quiet time with God which involves prayer, Bible STUDY (not just casual reading), and journaling what God teaches me.
- Prayer throughout the day as I’m encountering each situation.
- Praise and thanks throughout the day for every blessing.
- Being strongly bonded with a community of believers through membership in a local church.
- Setting aside extra time to study topics in God’s Word.
- Making disciples through teaching and mentoring.
- Time of rest dedicated to prayer and listening to God. (This is the hardest one for me!)
Maybe you’re thinking, “this does not sound like rest, rather this sounds like a lot of work.” Well, it is and—it isn’t. You see, I experience more peace, rest and joy when I’m engaging in these habits of soul-care than I EVER experience on vacation. It’s so different from a spa day—where I’m simply focusing on relaxing my body and mind. Soul-care gives me energy from the Source that powers the universe—the Holy Spirit. A spa day lasts until everything hits the fan on Monday morning; whereas soul-care powers me through trials that would otherwise boggle my mind, zap my body of energy, and make me lose sleep. Soul-care strengthens my soul with the only power that never runs out—GOD!
As an aside—when I’m experiencing healthy soul-care, it causes me to take better care of my body. I don’t have nearly the tendency or overeat or overindulge in things that make me unhealthy. When my soul is balanced—it balances my body.
We establish a lifeline with God when we’re born again, and it’s cranked up to full force through exercising habits of healthy soul-care!
Soul-care allows us to live in the rest of God—even while at war. And we ARE in a spiritual war! Only God’s presence gives us powerful peace in the storm of battle. We know Who fights with us; we know we win.
Like a child who will only be comforted by his mother or father—we, as children of God, can only find rest for our soul in Christ. His presence is unparalleled.
Rest for our soul is found only in the presence of Jesus Christ.
Only Jesus can give us the rest we most desire. His Word promises:
“For we who have BELIEVED DO enter that REST”
Hebrews 4:3
“There remains therefore a REST for the people of God.”
Hebrews 4:9
When we build healthy soul-care habits, we begin to flex our faith and our decisions centered on a strong belief in the person of God. We possess His presence and thus, HIS STEADY—peace, joy, compassion, kindness, love, wisdom, and strength. We live like ALL things are possible with God. We do not grow weary in well-doing because our energy is from the Holy Spirit. In fact, we live with more energy and zeal than we ever imagined possible.
Healthy soul-care leads to living a remarkable life and leaving the footprints of God everywhere we’ve been.
