Journey to Surrender

Feeding your soul is just as important as feeding your body.

Face it, we are all too busy. There isn't time enough for all the "have to's" much less time for the optional enriching pleasures of life.

You take time to feed your body, because you'll die if you don't. But did you know that you also need to take time to feed your soul? Did you even know that was a thing? Trust me, it is. It's an important thing. To me it's just as important as feeding your body.

If you don't feed your soul, it will become sick and withered, just as your body would if you neglected to feed it for too long.

What Makes You You

I've heard a lot of people express opinions about the differences between heart, soul, flesh, spirit, etc. I'm not a theological expert, and I don't really want to dig deep into Greek and Hebrew definitions, but to me, in simplest terms, I think of your soul as the essence of who you are: your intellect, your personality, your quirks, your likes and dislikes, your emotional constitution, your aspirations and dreams.

Despite what some may say, I don't think the soul is inherently evil or good. It's clear from the Bible that your soul can be influenced positively or negatively. Obviously we want to feed our souls with good stuff.  It's important not to just ignore your soul as being "non-spiritual," because when you do, you will gradually become less and less who you really are. When lose touch with what makes us feel alive, our souls wither.

Ten Ways to feed your soul

So how can we tend our souls in a positive way? Of course there is the important aspect to keep our souls in submission to the Holy Spirit. I'll touch on that more in another post, but there are also ways to feed your soul that aren't inherently "spiritual."  (Side note: in actuality, everything is spiritual, but that's for later).

Here are ten ways I came up with to keep your soul healthy:

1. The Beauty of God's Creation - Jenni and I have discovered that we need to regularly look on natural beauty. For us that often means renting a cabin in the mountains with a beautiful mountain view. The photo above is from a recent trip to California, where we got to enjoy lots of beautiful sights.
2. Contemplate Other Kinds of Beauty - Beauty is not just found in nature. For some beauty may be found in art or in a cityscape. Find the kind of beauty that brings you alive and make sure you regularly spend time gazing upon it.
3. Music that Touches Something Inside You - Music has a way of touching our souls in a powerful way. While many of us enjoy music as we rush from here to there, how often do you delibertely still  yourself and really listen? Try it.
4. Exercise Your Brain - If you love to learn, take time to stimulate your mind. Visit a museum. Study the history of a region or country. Read up on a topic that interests you. Listen to a TED talk.
5. Tickle your Funny Bone - Laughter is good for your soul. When was the last time you laughed uncontrollably?
6. Relax - I'm a driven person, and sometimes have to make a real effort to truly relax. While you are doing any of these things to feed your soul, try to turn off your mental to-do list or worry about all the things are not getting done while you are feeding your soul.
7. Play a Game - Jenni and I have found a board game that we really enjoy together. It's the right mix of strategy and luck that we both like playng it. There is something about a physical game (as opposed to an electronic one) that feeds our souls differently.  And it's something we can do together.
8. Create Something - I have several creative hobbies (songwriting and woodworking) that I no longer have time for (or perhaps I should say no longer make time for). How about you? Maybe it's time to figure out how we can regularly make room for at least a little of creativity.
9. Enjoy a Meal With Good Friends - I'm not really a foodie, but I do like to eat and drink a good beer. And a meal is a good way to connect with friends as a couple.
10. Make a Difference - Is there a cause you feel strongly about? Doing something for others that makes a difference is a great way to bring your soul to life.

Do any of these strike a chord with you? Are there other things you do to feed your soul? Can you do at least some of these together as a couple? Let us hear how you feed your soul. Leave a comment.