Sole Care
It shouldn’t have surprised me that it came right before the ten Days of Awe.
Our family entered this holiday season with a deep desire to meet with the Creator and make room to search our hearts. The ten days between the Jewish New Year and Yom Kippur are a serious time of introspection and repentance for the previous year.
As a believer in Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah, I am reminded of His atoning sacrifice that secures my name in the Lamb’s Book of Life. My status before God is not dependent on my best attempts to fix myself. Rather it completely depends on His perfect life and redemption.
With that said, this season is still an appropriate time to take one's own spiritual temperature.
And when I did so, I was surprised. No...I was rattled.
I woke up from a dream, shaking. It wasn’t a nightmare; it was just a picture.
The picture in my mind was of a grand mountain range. I could almost feel the cool wind from the snowy ridges in the distance. A lone hiker was sitting on a rock a distance from the base. He was surveying the condition of his hiking boots; they were in tatters. His injured, bleeding feet were showing through the holes.
Strangely, I could relate to the exhaustion and pain he was feeling. Somehow as an artist, I knew the title of the picture was Sole Care.
But what really rattled me was the gentle voice of God‘s Holy Spirit asking me, “How long are we going to continue like this?”
Anyone who knows me knows I love to be busy. I enjoy accomplishing as many tasks as possible each day.
In hindsight, this past year I’ve been the busiest I’ve ever been. The multiple hats I’ve worn kept me on the go all the time. Even on weekends, my tattered mind was preoccupied with projects and my to-do list.
The motivation behind my need to be busy was self-serving. I wanted a distraction from disappointments I suffered the previous year and a strong desire to prove my worth.
What I could not foresee was the fiery trial I was about to walk through. Foolishly, I kept taking on new projects, running at full capacity.
Then tragedy struck.
Death never comes at a convenient time. Especially when we lose someone very close to us.
News of a precious life cut short turns our world upside down in a moment. Unspeakable anguish fills our souls. Waves of grief pound us relentlessly.
As days become months, we slowly start to rebuild. Or in my case, I pushed the grief under the surface and returned to my crammed schedule.
The Lord’s voice arrested me. “How long are we going to continue like this?”
I knew this was an invitation and a warning. It was time to stop and repair my sole/soul.
By the Holy Spirit's direction, I began to cut everything from my schedule that was not from His leading. It was painful.
But I knew if I continued on overload as I had been, I would be worse off in the long run.
My course has been redirected.
My Savior has invited me and I have sat down at His feet...for soul care.
So I’ll turn that question around to you. How long are you going to continue like this – whatever “this” may look like for you?
Written by Kori, LIFE Staff Member
When was the last time you tended (or even acknowledged) your wounds?
Have you been carrying massive burdens and crushing grief?
How long will you continue on in your current condition?
Jesus is calling. His invitation is open: “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).
Don’t put off sole/soul care. You have received His invitation.
If you’d like prayer, contact us at 708-418-0020 or office@lifeinmessiah.org.