{"id":73955,"date":"2021-10-25T15:48:04","date_gmt":"2021-10-25T21:48:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mesonaz.org\/?p=73955"},"modified":"2022-07-21T15:52:07","modified_gmt":"2022-07-21T21:52:07","slug":"5-ways-to-invest-in-your-soul-care","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mesonaz.org\/en\/5-ways-to-invest-in-your-soul-care\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Ways to Invest in Your Soul Care"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/mesoamericaregion.us4.list-manage.com\/track\/click?u=03e55b045b4b2d81fc3a5a85b&amp;id=07e46a6778&amp;e=1e0613ef18\">5 Ways to Invest in Your Soul Care<\/a><\/strong><br \/>\nBy Dan Reiland<\/p>\n<p>Leadership is a marathon, not a sprint; you\u2019ve got to take care of yourself if you want to go the distance.<\/p>\n<p>Leaders carry burdens, some are their own, and some for those they love, lead and pour their lives into. Weariness is common today. It\u2019s not a sense of feeling defeated; in fact, there is great hope about the future, but that doesn\u2019t remove the reality of physical and emotional fatigue that can lead to emptiness.<\/p>\n<p><em>What\u2019s your plan for soul care? <\/em>There is great uniqueness in how it plays out for each person.<\/p>\n<p>Before we get to the five ways to invest in your soul care, here are some common signs of soul stress; you may have one or two others you could add.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Signs of Soul Stress<\/strong>:<br \/>\n<em>(When normal life rhythms and practices do not result in the positive outcomes they naturally would.)<\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Sleep doesn\u2019t bring you rest.<\/strong><br \/>\nHave you ever been there \u2013 you sleep but wake up tired?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Play doesn\u2019t bring you joy.<\/strong><br \/>\nFor example, you go on vacation but can\u2019t relax ; in fact, you need a vacation when you get back.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Work doesn\u2019t bring you results.<\/strong><br \/>\nYou are working hard, but it\u2019s not working. Um\u2026 this one is common.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Prayer doesn\u2019t bring you peace.<\/strong><br \/>\nYou lay your burdens at the Father\u2019s feet, but you\u2019re still carrying them.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Community doesn\u2019t bring you a sense of belonging.<\/strong><br \/>\nYou get time with friends, but you don\u2019t feel connected.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Jesus said:<br \/>\n<em>\u201cCome to me,\u00a0all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.\u00a0Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,\u00a0for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.\u00a0For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.\u201d<\/em><br \/>\n<em>Matthew 11:28-30<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>5 Ways to Invest in Your Soul Care:<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>1) Gain meaning and margin in your work<\/strong><br \/>\nThe human spirit craves meaning because we were created with purpose hard-wired within. Detached from meaning, your soul becomes weary. It\u2019s amazing how energizing hard work is when you know its value and see the results.<\/p>\n<p>One sure way to put meaning at risk is to have no margin (non-scheduled time). You know what that\u2019s like, running fast, meeting-to-meeting, so you\u2019re not able to prepare like you\u2019d like to or follow up effectively. You are only skimming the surface. That reduces time for priorities such as; think time to solve problems, innovation, deeper conversations with key leaders, etc., which results in even less margin and more stress.<\/p>\n<p>Work tends toward meaningless if you only skim the surface long enough. It\u2019s the hamster in the wheel metaphor &#8211; lots of activity, running in circles, but going nowhere. That will suck the life out of even the best of leaders.<\/p>\n<p>Meaning in your work starts with your clear calling and knowing you\u2019re exactly where God wants you. Then, when you add your gifting, passion and you see results, the level of fulfillment is powerful. Margin helps you sustain that experience for the long haul.<\/p>\n<p><strong>2) Pursue intimacy in your walk with God<\/strong><br \/>\nHow\u2019s your time with God going? \u00a0\u201cI\u2019m too exhausted to pray\u201d is a real thing, but leaders must press on to break through. It\u2019s ironic how a discouraged soul can distance itself from God, the very source of soul nourishment and strength. Prayer is essentially a relationship, so you can know the quality and depth of your relationship with God, just like you can with anyone you are close to. Simple things reveal much like, are you talking with God, are you current, are you honest, are you listening?<\/p>\n<p>The beautiful thing is you don\u2019t have to perform in your time with God. It\u2019s not about a checklist or a certain way. One of the most freeing experiences is to simply sit with God and listen. Perhaps read a scripture like Psalm 23, and just be quiet, meditate and listen.<br \/>\n<em>The\u00a0Lord\u00a0is my shepherd,\u00a0I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,<\/em>\u00a0<em>he\u00a0refreshes my soul. He guides me\u00a0along the right paths for his name\u2019s sake.\u00a0Psalm 23:1-3<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>3) Find strength and stability in your emotional well-being<\/strong><br \/>\nWhen your soul is running on empty, your emotions get the best of you. Our emotions need room to breathe; they are not designed for sustained overload. And we all desperately need to give and receive grace.<\/p>\n<p>Also, certain thought patterns rob you of peace:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Assuming the worst (\u201cWhat if\u201d)<\/li>\n<li>Second-guessing yourself<\/li>\n<li>Worry<\/li>\n<li>Stuck in the past<\/li>\n<li>Over-thinking<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Your heart tends to follow and expand what your mind focuses and dwells upon. Trusting God, not blind faith, but trusting a loving Father, is key to spirit-filled emotional strength and stability.<\/p>\n<p>A favorite go-to psalm of mine is:<br \/>\n<em>Truly\u00a0my soul finds rest\u00a0in God; my salvation comes from him.\u00a0<strong><sup>2\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>Truly he is my rock\u00a0and my salvation; he is my fortress,\u00a0I will never be shaken.<\/em><br \/>\n<em>Psalm 62:1-2<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Ask God to bathe your emotions in His Spirit.<br \/>\n<em>But the fruit\u00a0of the Spirit is love,\u00a0joy, peace,\u00a0patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,\u00a0gentleness and self-control.\u00a0\u00a0Galatians 5:22-23<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>4) Take action toward vitality in your physical health<\/strong><br \/>\nI\u2019ll keep this one brief because we all understand what this means; however, it\u2019s too important to leave it out entirely. Your body is God\u2019s creation. Its design is truly a work of art, and how you care for it has a direct and dramatic connection to your overall well-being, let alone the effectiveness of your leadership. If you are fit and eat well, keep going. However, if this is a struggle for you, remember, it\u2019s ok to start small. For example, a brisk walk three times a week can be life-changing compared to a mostly sedentary lifestyle.<\/p>\n<p><strong>5) Embrace authenticity in community<\/strong><br \/>\nFar too many leaders are out of ministry because they did not embrace authenticity in the community. Honesty matters, honesty is connected to maturity, and maturity is essential for soul strength.\u00a0Pursuing life according to biblical values is transformational and difficult to do alone.<\/p>\n<p>The first step toward authenticity is being part of the consistent community; isolation never leads to a place of healthy living. Authenticity leads to self-awareness when in the community of trusted friends and colleagues who will speak the truth in love.<\/p>\n<p>You know you are part of the authentic community when you experience high trust, a strong sense of belonging, and truth is spoken. In authentic community, you experience ease of vulnerability and a sense of God\u2019s presence. You feel most like the real you and fully loved and accepted.<br \/>\nFreedom indeed!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Which one of these five stands out as an area of soul care that needs attention for you?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u00a9 2021\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/mesoamericaregion.us4.list-manage.com\/track\/click?u=03e55b045b4b2d81fc3a5a85b&amp;id=b3199efc88&amp;e=1e0613ef18\">Dan Reiland<\/a>\u00a0| The Pastor&#8217;s Coach \u2013 Developing Church Leaders<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>5 Ways to Invest in Your Soul Care By Dan Reiland Leadership is a marathon, not a sprint; you\u2019ve got to take care of yourself if you want to go the distance. Leaders carry burdens, some are their own, and some for those they love, lead and pour their lives into. Weariness is common today. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mesonaz.org\/en\/5-ways-to-invest-in-your-soul-care\/\"> <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":73956,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3380,4661],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-73955","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","category-leadership-articles"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mesonaz.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73955","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mesonaz.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mesonaz.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mesonaz.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/22"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mesonaz.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=73955"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.mesonaz.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73955\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mesonaz.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/73956"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mesonaz.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=73955"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mesonaz.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=73955"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mesonaz.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=73955"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}