Soul Care: 7 Days of Life-Giving PracticesSample

Day 1: Introducing Soul Care

Empty things can’t fill up empty people. When we start feeling even the slightest hint of emptiness and exhaustion, we can be tempted to run to a quick fix—a sugary snack, a caffeine hit, a glass of wine—that we hope will give us a boost, distract us, or fill us up as fast as possible. But often, these choices leave us more depleted and perpetuate the cycle of feeling empty.

In Micah 6, we see God interacting with His people, the Israelites, who had strayed from the life-giving truths He’d given them. He responds to them by saying, “You will eat but not be satisfied, for there will be hunger within you” (Micah 6:14 HCSB). When we try to fill up with our own methods, we’re left unsatisfied, with a hunger still stirring within us.

And yet, we keep going back for more of those unsatisfying things. We keep running to empty things instead of seeking out what will truly satisfy our souls. In Isaiah 55:2, we’re challenged with an important question: “Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare.”

Why are we spending our money, our energy, and our time on things that cannot fill us up? Substances, screens, sex, and spending don’t have that kind of power! When will we realize we are draining our souls rather than filling them up?

I want us to start seeking fulfillment in terms of soul care: rhythms and practices that fuel and feed and strengthen our souls—the deepest parts of who we are. Routines that help us become the best versions of ourselves emotionally, mentally, physically, and spiritually.

When you’re drained and depleted, what do you run to? What is your default method of filling up? Most often our method is the thing we do as quickly as possible with whatever is available around us. It usually doesn’t come with much prep or planning; we typically choose something we can do without really thinking about where it will lead us.

But that is the exact opposite of soul care. Because soul care is an intentional and mapped-out plan, tried and tested by those who have gone before us. It’s a journey that leads us to becoming healthier emotionally, mentally, physically, and spiritually—one step at a time.

Today, let’s stopped to take inventory of what isn’t working in our lives, of the things that aren’t really filling us up. There’s room in our lives for coffee, Netflix, shopping, and fast food, but when we go to those things for our primary means of being filled, we’ll never be satisfied. So, over the next few days, we’re going to do a deep dive into what does satisfy. Some of these practices are simple, and some are a little more complex, but each one is clearly evidenced in the life of Jesus—a man who understood the nature of His humanity and invested in caring for His soul. And you know what? He cares for your soul as well because He loves you. You were created to live filled, so you can live fully.