Christmas Soul Care
I've sung the song, "Oh Holy Night" dozens of times but not until I started thinking about our souls at Christmas time did I realize how genius the writer of the hymn was. "He appeared, and the soul felt its worth." is both powerful and revelatory. It is a strong statement regarding our value in light of the incarnation. In Christ our soul is full, without Him, our souls are leaky and deflating.
There are many reasons our soul subsides, especially during the holidays. For me, just looking for a parking space is draining. We all know those things that busy us around the Christmas season but do we take time to do anything about this tiring time or do we just yield to the necessity and try to make it back to normalcy in the first part of January?
Christmas is busy, "tis the season" but thankfully its only a season. Here are a few Soul Care tips to help you live out of the overflow.
1. Breath - Literally and metaphorically. Slow and deliberate, deep belly breaths are calming and soothing. Slow nose breathing (six seconds in and out is ideal) can bring some great health benefits. Topping that list is calming, and stress relieving. If you can take a few minutes each morning and clear your head by deep breathing, you can even imagine yourself breathing in the goodness of God, the Holy Spirit or a short prayer. When you exhale you can breathe out all the negative toxic busyness or stress. A long checkout line in the store is a great place to practice breathing.
2. Pause - On RPLNISH Experiences we say, Divert Daily. Do something different or nothing at all. Take a 5-minute vacation, do a Wordle, watch the sunrise, play an instrument. Do something, anything... or nothing at all. Sometimes we can get more done by doing less. Accomplishing more Christman by pausing at Christmas.
3. Reflect - Reflect on all the good in your life, there is a ton. Reflect on how far you have come or how much your career has grown or how you have cut and focused. Be mindful of all that is positive in your life. Be thankful and grateful and reflect on ways you can share that with others. The end of the year is right around the corner and Christmas is a perfect season to reflect and the perfect time to mark the past year.
4. Focus - Concentrate on what is important. Family, health, the real reason for Christmas apart from all the "todos". A task with a relative may not necessarily be that arduous if you consider it might be an opportunity to connect or give. Wrapping gifts might be a chance to go through your giving list or catch up on a podcast. Focus can be simple or simply giving clarity.
There are many other ways to care for your soul during the Christmas season, but the most important thing is that we do!