How to Care for your Soul
I think if you were to ask most people, “How do you live a healthy lifestyle when it comes to your body?” most of them would tell you that you need to eat healthy and get regular exercise. Even if that wasn’t something they did themselves, they would still know to tell you that.
If you ask the same question about mental health, many would know to limit your screen time, get good sleep, spend time in nature with clean, fresh air, etc.
When it comes to caring for our souls, I think there are a lot of people who don’t even know where to begin.
We are a being with three parts. Our body, the physical; our mind or mental; and our soul or spiritual. These three parts make up a holistic understanding of who we are as human beings.
Psalm chapters 42 and 43 are a wonderful, gut-wrenching song written by a psalmist who is in what some might call “ the dark night of the soul.” Its author is facing depression, discouragement, and frustration. Worst of all, they feel that they are crying out to God with no response.
So how do we care for our souls when God feels distant or removed? What are the things we do in our lives to make sure that even when things don’t seem right, we are working to be healthy versions of ourselves spiritually?
The way we care for our souls is that we live a life that is honest about our struggles and shortcomings, and we choose to trust as we wait on God.
Choosing honesty doesn’t always come naturally. I love how forthright the author of Psalm 42 and 43 is. They say plainly that they are dejected, in turmoil, and deeply depressed.
If we want to care for our souls, we need to be honest about their condition. A few years ago, I got to participate in a training targeted at helping people going through mental health crises, getting them to counseling and help.
One of the things that I learned in this training is, if you hear someone who seems to be talking in a way that indicates that they might harm themselves, you should just ask them, “Have you thought about hurting yourself?”
Many people think this would be not good to ask someone because the person might then get the idea that they should if they had not been thinking of this. Research shows the exact opposite, though that many times people who are in a place where they would consider self-harm or worse, are looking for the opportunity to share that with someone, but don’t feel that they can be honest about that struggle.
Honest honesty is the first step to growth and healing. In Peter’s first letter to the early church, he instructed them, “ 57 casting all your cares on him, because he cares about you.” (1 Peter 5:7 CSB).
This verse is obviously encouraging, but notice that you can’t cash your cares if you do not admit that you have them.
In Mark chapter 10, Jesus encountered a blind beggar. When the beggar came up to him, he asked him a curious question. “What do you want me to do for you?”
From there, the man told Jesus about his blind condition, and Jesus healed him. He took the man admitting his struggle to find the healing.
In seasons of struggle, we care for our souls by admitting our struggle. This is why it’s so important that our church is not a place where we pretend to have it all together. That no one here has arrived. We are all in process.
Caring for our soul means living honestly. Admitting our struggles, hangups, and hurts and not trying to pretend they don’t exist.
We also care for our souls by choosing to trust God. Sometimes trusting God means waiting. I don’t know why God makes us wait. I also don’t know how long you will wait on him.
What I can tell you for certain is that God is worth trusting and God is worth waiting on.
As we wait on him, I want to encourage you to confess a few things. Confess your hope in God. The refrain on this song is centered around that idea.
Even in our struggles and hardships, we can choose to hope in God. When life is chaotic and tumultuous, choose to hope that God is still working.
We also choose to praise. The Psalmist writes, “for I will still praise him, my Savior and my God.” (Psalm 42:5 CBS) Even when God doesn’t do what we want or when we want it, he is still worthy of our praise.
Choosing to trust God means choosing to remember. (Psalm 42:6) Make a point to remember what God has done in your life. Share it regularly with others. Ask others how God has worked in their life. This will give us encouragement and strength to continue. This will refresh our souls.
As we wait on God, choosing to trust him, we always must choose to keep seeking him.
I want to encourage you with the words of the prophet Isaiah.
“29 He gives strength to the faint and strengthens the powerless. 30 Youths may become faint and weary, and young men stumble and fall, 31 but those who trust in the Lord will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not become weary, they will walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:29-31)
When your soul is tired, and God seems silent, don’t give up. Keep trusting him, keep waiting on him.
