What your soul needs

Dearly Beloved,

Grace and Peace to you.


When I go to a quilt shop with Beth, while she hunts for fabrics I just look for pretty stuff. And I always go the the solids, bolts of pure color, and look for the particular color that my eyes need that day. I don't know what it means, but there are days when my eyes really want to see green, or a yellowish orange, or deep blue. I don't “figure it out.” I just look until my eyes rest with a certain color. They know what they need.

The same is true of our souls. We each have areas in which we can tell when our plants need watering or our pianos need tuning, or what's needed to make the salad taste right. How often do we attend to what our souls need? At any particular time we may need rest or challenge, solitude, community, answers, questions, clarity, mystery, healing, forgiveness, light, darkness, courage, color, beauty, comfort, tension, words, silence... What a gift we can give ourselves by paying attention to what our souls need, and doing our best to give them that.

What does you soul need today— right now? Don't try to figure it out. Your body will probably give you some hints. It's not merely a matter of “doing what feels right.” (Our feelings will often gladly lead us astray.) It's a matter of being still and listening to your soul until it tells you, until it comes to rest on a certain color.

You may not be able to go right out and get it. But you can be open; you can seek. (Seek, and you will find...) You may not be able to discern easily between what your soul needs and other appetites and desires. But you can ask. You can wonder. (Ask, and it will be answered...) There may be no clarity, no reply from your soul. But you can let the question simply be a part of your prayer, part of your awareness during the day. Be open to what your soul craves, and be open to honoring that as you can. And trust that “It is God's good pleasure to give you the whole Realm” (Lk. 12.32).


Deep Blessings,
Pastor Steve


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Copyright © Steve Garnaas-Holmes
unfoldinglight@hotmail.com