Caring for Your Soul
How do we begin to approach the topic of caring for our souls? There is a mysteriousness to the human soul that philosophers and theologians have attempted to define for millennia, but never quite seem to capture in an entirely satisfactory way. I certainly won’t be trying to solve this mystery, but I would like to invite a brief exploration of it. What if we thought about our souls as the “us” – mind, body, spirit – that we are going to take into eternity?
At Integrate, we see God as an eternal being who has always existed in a relationship so intimate that it is described as a three-persons-in-one-being. A love that we’ve named the Trinity. Part of what it means to be human is that we have been designed by this personal God to be in deep relationship with God, always present with God’s loving presence with us. I would hazard a guess that many of us don’t constantly think about eternity. It’s trippy and unknown, and a lot of us are just trying to survive our day. But what if our souls were meant to go through life with an uninterrupted, loving, empowering, relational connection – with God, with others in our life, and with our own selves?
That is a huge “what if,” and clearly it is not the case. We are often painfully aware of the brokenness of our connections or ways they have been exploited. Other times, we just try to get through the day and not think about it. We replay conversations in our mind, thinking of what we wish we had or hadn’t said. We try to anticipate what’s coming next. We try to escape the chaos in many ways. We are often barely present with ourselves or others, much less God.
Cultivating awareness is all about slowing down long enough to pay attention. Paying attention allows us to be present where we are, and that is where we can find God right along with us.
There are countless ways of caring for our souls. But one of the keys to soul care is reconnecting with ourselves, with others, and with God, finding God present with us wherever we are. Practicing the presence of God (shout out to Brother Lawrence) requires cultivating awareness. And the key to awareness is slowing down. Slowing down is both external (e.g., making space in our schedule, muting the phone, turning off the media) and internal (e.g., practicing setting aside the distractions, worries, to-do lists). Cultivating awareness is all about slowing down long enough to pay attention. Paying attention allows us to be present where we are, and that is where we can find God right along with us.
There is a lovely variety of ways to do this – some mental, some physical, some spiritual, some a combination. Some people find journaling very helpful. You could also take deep breaths, slowly in and out, to calm your body and attune to how your body is doing here-and-now. I find checking in and naming what I am currently experiencing physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually to be helpful. Playing is also extremely profound: where are you able to fully and playfully engage in the activity in front of you? That may be where you are practicing presence.
As you find the ways that best invite slowing down for you, notice what arises in your emotions, in your mind, and in your spirit. Share these things with God if you desire. Be curious and compassionate as you seek to understand. And then take action. Might God have something to share with you? What care or attention might these things need? Laughter and tears, dance and stillness, silence and cathartic screams? These can all be ways of tending to your soul. But soul care can also look like offering a sincere apology, setting a clear boundary, helping another person, or asking for help yourself.
Because caring for your soul means reconnecting in mind, body, and spirit with the God who loves you and loves loving you. In eternity, this connection will again be unbroken. For now, we are invited to practice being present with God, others, and ourselves. We get to slow down and practice eternity.
Toward wholeness,
Bevin Dunn