Kristi Pennington

Four years ago a dear friend introduced me to the book, “Embracing Soul Care” by Stephen Smith. Everything I read resonated with me. Somehow God had already placed in me the hunger for more of Him that came through some of the themes mentioned in the book, and yet I’d only scratched the surface of what soul care really meant. My husband’s interest in soul care was also piqued. God in His goodness and sovereignty laid out a plan for us to discover together what this “caring for the soul” was all about.  

We cannot talk about Soul Care without understanding what the soul is. In its simplest form it is the total self. The total you, the total me. That includes our body, our mind, our emotions, and our spirit. These parts are all connected.

I recently visited with a friend who has dealt with chronic back pain for the last three years. She had a knee replacement 6 months ago. Much to her amazement, after that knee replacement surgery she realized her back pain was gone. I looked at her and said, “This is proof that everything in our body is really connected.” It’s the same with our soul. Every part of our soul is important and needs to be cared for. Caring for one part helps another part. I find myself more settled, more at peace, more pressing into the person God has designed me to be when I am caring for my soul. When this is happening, I understand how to love and care for others in a more healthy way. It’s a journey of becoming more whole and complete in Christ.

So what are essential components of soul care?

• Leaning into my belovedness in Christ. I lean on these truths:  Jesus’ love for me is unconditional. He loves loving me and will never change his mind about loving me. He loves to bless me. He delights in me. He completes me. He never takes His eyes off of me. He likes me.
• Rest – spiritual and physical. My body needs 7-8 hours of sleep every night. I do everything I can to help that happen. When my body is exhausted it is difficult for the spiritual rest to happen. Spiritual rest is being able to experience the love and peace of Jesus throughout my whole being.
• Living life in rhythm, not balance. It’s impossible to keep everything balanced in my life. I have discovered certain rhythms which are essential to daily and weekly living in a more satisfied, settled and contented way. It’s somewhat structured but never confining. Describing some of these rhythms will comprise my next blog.
• Practicing stillness and silence with God in solitude.

Reading “Embracing Soul Care” began the movement of soul care in our lives. Soon after reading “Embracing Soul Care” we discovered there was a retreat offered that would help us learn and experience more of the needed “how to’s” of soul care. It’s now been three years ago that my husband looked at me at the retreat center nestled in the Rocky Mountains and said, “Do you want to do Soul Care for the rest of our lives?” I said yes! The rest is history. We will never be the same.

Questions for reflection: Are you living life out of the place of your belovedness? Are you getting the amount of sleep that replenishes your soul?  Does trying to balance multiple plates at one time leave you worn out and empty? Are you regularly quieting your soul in solitude with God?

For us, this has been life changing. We are passionate about sharing with others how to care for their beautiful soul.

I would love to come alongside you in your spiritual journey. If you’re interested, check out my website. www.kristicoaching.com