All things that may come in life, all the challenges, the new chapters, it can be easy to lose sight of the eternal. Our souls are often neglected. And that word, soul, is not this separate spirit thing that floats up in the sky after we die. In Hebrew the word is nep̄eš (neh fesh). It’s a powerful word that means your self, life, mind, your very living being. In the Bible it talks about taking care of your soul. The word for keep in Deuteronomy 4 is šāmar (shaw mar) which means to guard it. It also says to do that diligently.

““Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children’s children—”

Deuteronomy‬ ‭4‬:‭9‬ ‭ESV‬‬

We can’t control the curveballs that life brings. We can’t control how others treat us. We can’t stop the aging process and the new difficulties that it brings. There is so much out of our control. But we can control whether or not we are engaging in life-giving things that help to revive our souls. We can spend time in God’s creation, soaking in the beauty that He made. We can maintain a heart of gratitude, giving thanks for all the little things and the big. We can spend time getting to know our creator through the words He’s given us in the Bible. We can surround ourselves with people who are going to speak truth and love. We can worship, especially when we don’t feel like it. We can keep a heavenly mindset rather than a temporal one. We can use our time to better the lives and world around us. Those things we can control. We can guard our souls and in doing so, we will experience life.

Peace in Christ brothers and sisters.