Do you want to live with intention? 

Then put your spiritual life at the top of your priority list.

I have loved the Lord and desired a relationship with Him that was intimate, genuine and “real” in all areas of my life ever since I first came to faith. I often found it a struggle. It was not until my forties that I discovered the value of discipleship and intentional “soul–care.” Prior to that time, I would approach my spiritual growth with great enthusiasm. However, when challenged at an event by a dynamic speaker or a great book, I would allow the busyness of life to lull me into laziness and apathy. I was “good” and working hard for the Lord but without the joy and sweetness of His abiding presence that is the hallmark of being in an intimate place with God. I was a Christian, I was faithful in my behaviors and I truly loved the Lord, but a relationship with Him was not the priority it should have been.

Things changed for me when the Lord answered a desperate prayer for help during a time of despair and discouragement in my ministry as an officer. He sent a lovely woman of God who chose to speak into my life. She taught me what it means to be a disciple and what it means to truly live close to the heart of God.

What I could not know in those days of basking in the joy of new discovery, revitalized ministry and the deep and abiding peace I was experiencing in my personal faith walk, was that I was about to enter into a time of great hurt, disappointment in people, loss and pain. My personal world was devastated. Everything I had trusted seemed like shifting sand and I grasped for something to hold onto. I found it in the One who remained constantly present. I had never truly understood Jesus’ promise that the peace He gives is not as the world gives or that it “passes understanding,” but in that time I experienced exactly what that means. In a circumstance where I should have experienced no peace or sense of calm, He sustained me. He embraced my broken heart.

We cannot avoid the difficult things in life.

Jesus said, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33 (NIV)

That “overcoming” power is available to us in the trials and painful troubles of life. I can’t know how I would have faced the devastation had I been less spiritually prepared and if soul–care not been a priority in my life. What I can say is that I navigated that time with a sense of peace and the confidence that God was working on my behalf. I was rooted in the way that God had grown my faith through those days of intentional soul care.

It may sound old school or cliché, but soul-care is the most important element of self–care. Put your spiritual life at the top of your priority list. How it looks and is lived out has to be tailored to your circumstance and your personality but should include:

Time in the Word  – Read it, write it, meditate on it but don’t neglect it. Pick a reading plan. You may be ready to read through the Bible in a year (4 chapters a day) or need to focus on passages and topical plans that help you where you are now. Writing out the scriptures will help you really see and hear things you may have just passed by if only read. When a verse speaks to your soul, stop and let your heart cry out to God. Is it encouragement you need? Rest? Comfort? Time to just praise Him? You will find it in the Word.

Bible Study – Join Bible Study Fellowship, Precepts or work on a word study, or pick a favorite verse, read it in various translations and explore theologically sound commentaries for insights and deeper understanding. Read it in context. Spending hours in study isn’t always possible. But turning off the TV, laying down your iPhone and spending the time you would have invested in a sitcom or playing a game can be food for the anxious, discouraged or restless heart.

Read good stuff – You don’t like to read—listen to audio books. You can’t afford books or audio books—check out free resources through your public library and other reading apps: Hoopla, CloudLibrary and Overdrive are just a few possibilities. All of these have Christian books and audio options that will benefit your spiritual life and development. Ask friends for recommendations.

Quieter on social media – Turn off Facebook and Instagram push notifications on your phone so you are not constantly distracted. Do not take out your phone when you are talking to people. The people in your presence should take priority.

Worship – And yes, personal private worship is amazing and I highly recommend it. However, corporate worship is God encouraged and designed. The church is not perfect, but neither are we, the individuals that inhabit it. Go to the corps/church and worship God there with HIS people be: a light, a help, a witness to God’s working in your life and an encouragement to others.

Ask someone to disciple you – No matter how long you have been a believer or what leadership roles you hold, you need people in your life who will help you grow and mature in your faith. Some things to keep in mind as you look for this person: They should be:

• Further along their spiritual journey than you are
• Someone who lives their faith not just “up front” but every day of their lives
• Trustworthy
• Able to keep confidences, not a gossip or prone to “share” inappropriately
• A good listener
• One who studies and knows the Word of God
• Willing to speak the truth in love
• Able to accept you where you are and encourage you toward deeper faith
• If possible, close geographically, but also doable long distance

Give yourself grace. Our faith walk is a relationship with the Lord and not a “once and done” or a check list of disciplines and behaviors. The Lord loves you. You cannot truly experience all God has for you outside of a consistent and intimate relationship with Him and that takes investment, intentionality and frankly, hard work. You will have to put Christ first, and only you will know how that looks for you in this season of life. But, my friend, it will be so worth it!