Soul
“Our soul is like a stream of water, which gives strength, direction, and harmony to every other area 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 that stream. Therefore we are in harmony with God, reality, and the rest of human nature and nature at large.”
- Dallas Willard
Our days are getting crowded and more full with increasing stimuli vying for our attention. I am more aware of the noise and distraction than I have ever been. And that is even after establishing some pretty strong boundaries:
I severely limit my involvement and intake of social media. For instance, I only follow my children, wife, son-in-law, and daughter-in-law on Instagram. I am not on Facebook.
I try to limit television intake and prefer to watch recorded shows where I can fast-forward through all commercials.
I regularly unsubscribe to all the noise that piles up in my inbox over time.
I haven’t read or listened to any news source in almost 10 years.
Interestingly enough, I am regularly challenged on most of the measures I have taken to quiet things. Not by the menacing growl of all those beasts fighting for my attention, but by people who regularly partake in them and seem bothered by the fact that I am not.
I recently wrote about the need for soul care in “Attendance” a few months ago. It turns out that ordering my life with “soul care” as one of the top priorities has been as disruptive to my life as it has been for others.
Disruptive for good, but disruptive nonetheless.
I am privileged to spend my vocational life in very close alignment with my calling, God’s particular intention for my life. And while calling is…
…not what you do, but how you do what you do…
…it makes for a pretty fulfilling vocational life to operate so close to that intended purpose. I get a ringside seat to so much clarity, victory, restoration, and transformation.
It is a privilege.
It is an honor.
It can even become pretty exhausting…without the proper soul care.
I am not feeling refreshed and exuberant in all I do. The tank is a little empty. Despite so much goodness going on here, I have to go to the mountains. In order to prepare to participate in all that God has for me to do, I need to get away for some soul care.
So do you.
I want to be profusely rooted in the vastness of God and his kingdom.
I want harmony with God, reality, human nature, and nature at large.
I want my soul to be like a stream of water, which gives strength, direction, and harmony to every other area of my life.
I want my soul to be ready to offer the same to others.
The mountains are calling and so I must go. Please pray for my time with my wife in Colorado from Sept 26 - Oct 3.
Consider
How full or empty is your tank running?
Do you feel like your soul is a stream of water offering strength, harmony, and direction to every area of your life?
Are you able to be that kind of stream for your family or the people you lead vocationally?
Where do you need to get away to? When does that need to happen?