As I continue to think about how we can nurture our soul’s (our personality, mind, will and emotions); we cannot ignore the fact that the physical and spiritual both affect our soul’s. I’m learning so much these days about taking care of myself. Not just a specific part of myself but my entire personhood. The culture in which we live has us all frantically running around physically and mentally and sometimes spiritually. We are all overwhelmed, tired and frustrated.
When we counsel couples we teach them that there are certain times that they should not talk about difficult subjects. We use the acronymn HALT. This stands for Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired. If any of these four things are going on; you need to take a step back and take care of yourself BEFORE discussing anything difficult. This means the talk may have to be put off until tomorrow. Also bedtime is NEVER the best time to discuss controversial subjects. It took me years to learn that truth. It’s also not the time to think about anxious topics.
I don’t know about you but I am tired of being overworked, overextended and often over thinking. We have to decide we are not going to live this way any longer. Pray about it. Ask God what you can choose to do differently in your life to rest. Yes, rest! Rest entails so much more than taking a nap. We need to disengage mentally, emotionally and physically. The best way to revive ourselves is through prayer, the bible and spending time with God. But we also need to make other choices to take care of our soul’s.
When is the last time you walked by the still waters. Meditated. Just plain chilled out. Do you need to disengage some from television, social media, e-mail or booking every minute of your week with activities? You are the only one that has control of your schedule. Let’s spend time rejuveniating our soul’s so that we don’t get hungry, angry, lonely or tired. I am simply stating that we need to take care of ourselves and rest. Every part of ourselves. Spiritually, Physically, Mentally and Emotionally.
We will love more, feel better, sleep better and glorify the Lord more if we take care of ourselves. After all, life is hard and we were never wired with the capacity to handle it on our own. That’s why Jesus died for you. He didn’t only die to give you a home in heaven. He also indwelled you so that He could be in a real relationship with you and live His life through you. HE has perfect balance with work and rest. HE has perfect balance with alone time and socializing. HE created us and wants to teach us how to notice the red flags that pop up in our lives. Let’s pay attention and value our time and energy so that we can be fully engaged when the opportunities from the Lord come into our lives. Let’s choose to live fulfilling lives that are balanced.
Psalm 119:28 – My soul melts from heaviness; Strengthen me according to your word.
Hebrews 4:9-11 – So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. Therefore, let us be diligent to enter that rest…
Isa 40:31 – Those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength. They will mount up with wings like eagles. They will run and not get tired. They will walk and not become weary.
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