Soul Care
In recent weeks I have been teaching a book at church called Embracing the Love of God. The chapter we covered this evening talked about the importance of caring for oneself. In this chapter the author, James Brian Smith, emphasizes the need for care of the soul and even mentions spending time in Creation as one way of doing so. He also makes the point if we do not make an effort to care for our souls we pay a heavy price.
I believe that Smith is right. Many of us stay so busy day to day that we fail to care for the most important part of our being. Some take excellent care of their body, but neglect their spirit or soul. As a result they suffer. Failure to take care of our souls can lead to anxiety, depression, restlessness, and a host of other ailments.
Spending time in God’s Creation is obviously not the only thing we can do to care for the soul but it may well prove to be the most enjoyable. And in most cases it is free! I realize that not everyone has easy access to woods, mountains, streams or deserts, but there are elements of Creation accessible to all of us. Even those in large cities can find bits and pieces of nature to enjoy.
I truly do believe that God made the world in such a way that it has healing qualities (physical and spiritual). I would even dare say that many of our society’s ills are related to our alienation from Creation. We were meant to be more closely connected to nature and our souls are paying the price for being separated from it.
My photography leads me into the outdoors on a fairly regular basis and for that I am thankful. I feel better inside when I can be out in nature. Knowing that, I wonder why I don’t get out more—with or without a camera. If I really cared for myself I would. And so would you…
–Chuck
(The picture above was taken recently on a day trip to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.)