23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
24 He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.
God is concerned with the totality of our being, and He wants us to grow strong in Him in our spirits, as well as our souls, which grow as we are committed to seek the truth that is contained within God's Word. Romans 12 speaks of renewing the mind. If our soul is not at peace, or we have allowed our souls to be corrupted or polluted, we cannot experience the mental and emotional condition that God would desire for us to have. He wants us to grow in Him and to conform to Christ in the way we think.
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In the first chapter of the book of Joshua, we see that God has given him some important keys to his development as the leader of the people of Israel. You might say that God's instructions dealt with
the way Joshua made His walk with God and the condition of His soul high priorities:
8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."
One of the phrases that is used when people part company is "take care." It's a pretty innocuous phrase, really, but it can cause us to think about Who is really taking care of us and how we can connect with the Lord through the care of various areas of our lives.
Barna has released a survey about the topic of "self-care." In the survey summary, it says: "...conversations about 'self-care" have entered the mainstream as people seek out ways to unplug, relax and pursue personal health and growth." The group says that "we asked American adults who identify as Christian and / or spiritual to identify practices they participate in on a regular basis—some more spiritual in nature, some that could be more broadly categorized as self-help or self-improvement."
According to this survey of so-called "spiritual" people, including Christians, 1-in-4 indicated that "time in nature for reflection" was their preferred practice of self-care. That area finished in the top position, followed by "reading books on spiritual topics" - a little over 1 out of 5 gave that answer. Then, there was a trio of what could be described as "contemplative" practices: meditation, at 19%, silence or solitude, at 16%, and journaling, the response of 14% of those surveyed.
Interestingly enough, 28% of Millennials said that they journal, as opposed to just 3% of the Elder category. Boomers and Elders, it seems, gravitate toward reading and nature.
Those in higher income categories tended to move toward activities which might require a financial investment. Those in the higher education categories were drawn to more "cerebral expressions of self-care, such as silence and solitude, or meditation."
But, across the board in the income and education categories, "spending time in nature or journaling are similarly appealing to all spiritually-inclined adults sampled."
This survey can help us to consider what we are doing to take care of our souls. Certainly, there is plenty of emphasis on physical health, including diet and exercise. But, the ways we feed and develop our spirits are of paramount importance.
First of all, I think there is something that is therapeutic about being immersed in God's creation. The simple act of getting out of the house or the office can be refreshing, especially now that the temperatures are rising and the pollen count might be declining. And, while we don't worship nature or seek to be one with it or commune with it, the Bible is replete with Scripture verses that tell us we can see the Creator in His creation.
I also like the concept of writing things down. What is God teaching you through His Word? We can certainly commit principles to ministry, but that act of journaling, which Barna shows is popular among young adults, can help reinforce what He is teaching us and can be helpful for all believers. Good ol' spiral notebooks or bound journals can be places where we can write - or even draw - our thoughts.
Finally, a word about meditation. This word can have a negative connotation if the object of our meditation is not God and His Word. But, the Lord spoke to Joshua about speaking of and meditating in the Scriptures so that we can be careful to do what is in them. Meditation involves study, it can involved memorization, and it can involve the Holy Spirit showing us how we can make Scripture operational in our lives. Through meditation, we train our minds to think about, to carefully consider, the ways of God.
He is inviting us to practices through which we can fellowship with Him and know Him better. As we come to know Christ better and allow Him to renew our minds by His Word, we are participating in a restorative act of "soul care."
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