Soul Care
by Mary Elsbury
These days we are busy running errands, going to work, managing a household, volunteering at church, and so much more. It seems that there aren’t enough hours in the day. Life has a way of overwhelming us in so many ways that we are physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually drained. But we are women. We push on. We make cookies for the school bake sale. We make the bed. We go to work. We help with homework. We do the laundry. We teach a Sunday School class. We are tired.
Social media tells us that all we need is a massage, a good workout, or to use certain vitamins/supplements/oils to revive our spirits. But after all the pushing and doing and running, how do you care for your soul? How do you carve out quiet space to listen for God? I know what you are thinking, “Are you crazy? I don’t have time to be quiet! I have (fill in the blank) to do!” But, sweet friend, you have to make time that allows God to speak into your tired soul.
One thing that I found that helps me focus and listen for God is to journal. I have a trunk full of journals from 40+ years that reflect tears and laughter, accomplishments and failures, shattered dreams, small miracles, and so much grace. Each journal shares the common thread of showing me how God led me through dark places and those filled with laughter and joy, the good and bad days, pointing to the fact that He is always a constant source of strength and comfort.
There are so many benefits to writing in a journal. A recent survey discovered that journaling over time could increase your life by 11%. It helps us slow down and focus on what is happening rather than what isn’t. It allows you to ask questions – and not worry that you don’t have the answers. It shows you where you have been, compared to where you are now. Finally, it demonstrates that God is with us, in big and small ways, no matter what is happening at that moment.
So maybe you aren’t ready to write a novel or even a short paragraph. Start small. Take five minutes every day to write down three things that happened in your day that made you grateful. Maybe it was your middle school child coming home with no torn clothes, or you saw a fabulous yellow flower growing wild, or you got an encouraging note from a friend. Try it for 30 days. I dare you.
The point of journaling is to give you space and time to reflect on life. It is a safe place to ask questions, engage in talks with God, and memorialize prayers. And to see how God loves you.
I pulled an old favorite off my shelf the other day, “Renovation of the Heart” by Dallas Willard. In it, he wrote, “Our soul is like an inner stream of water, which gives strength, direction, and harmony to every other element of our life. When that stream is as it should be, we are constantly refreshed and exuberant in all we do, because our soul itself is then profusely rooted in the vastness of God and His Kingdom, including nature; and all else within us is enlivened and directed by the stream.”
Sweet friend, I encourage you today to take a few moments and write. Pick up your favorite writing tool. What flows out of your pen is the reality of your heart. Writing allows you to stop, reflect, and listen for God’s voice. Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still and know that I am God.”
Be still and know that I AM.
Be still and know.
Be still.
Be.
My hopes and prayers are that you will experience a time of refreshing and encouragement in your daily walk with God as you care for your soul.
