Soul Care

A friend and I are working through a few books by Mindy Caliguire, materials from IVP’s SoulCare Resources. The first book, “Discovering Soul Care” is a bit of a review of the material I had at Wheaton College in my Care of Souls class with Lyle Dorsett. I miss the class and I have missed attending to these areas in my life.

Mindy’s perspective (and I think that she is right) is that all of us is alive: body, mind and soul (or spirit). Our soul is alive and needs nourishing just as our brain, muscles, and organs; they all need proper care and provision of nutrients. Just as we protect our body from the cold, or the heat, or from too much sun, we must also protect our soul from damage. As believers, one of our attentions should be on the condition of our soul. We attend to our home, our cars, our employment, our children and spouses if we have them. Likewise, we must also tend to the needs of our soul.

One of the earliest questions in this book is essentially, “What is the condition of your soul?” and soon after, “What are the symptoms of a healthy soul, or a neglected soul?” These were two good questions to help me process the sinful responses to others in my life, and to the lies that Satan uses to deceive.

For me, when my soul is malnourished, when it is unhealthy, the symptoms that arise are: shame, anger, sexual lust, feelings of despair, and insecurity. When my soul is not being nourished with solitude and silence, with prayer and scripture, with the sweet words of God’s truth from my community, my life begins to reflect these symptoms. I doubt the truths that are in scripture, that are mine because of the work of Christ. I doubt his love for me, his provision for me, and as I stated in the last post, I doubt the forgiveness that is mine in Jesus.

So, as I embark on another expedition to explore my soul with the Holy Spirit, I ask for your prayer. Prayer for God’s peace and assurance, his presence in my life, his grace, sensitivity to the sin in my heart and in my actions, to see how the Lord might shape me more in the likeness of Jesus; and that as Mindy says, “that my level of understanding of truth is equal to my level of surrender”.