Is It Well with Your Soul? Really?

by James Allen Nelson

Is it well with your soul? How do you know? Have you considered what it means for it to be “well with your soul”? What would that look like or feel like? Ask yourself are you taking as much care of your soul as you do all the other aspects of your life? We know we are made up of body, mind, and spirit (soul) all of which need to be healthy and fully aligned for us to live a rich, full, healthy, happy life. All of them require feeding, exercise, and outside help at times. Ignoring or abusing any one of them can have devastating consequences on the other two and our lives in general.

All of us take care of our bodies; of course, some of us do a better job of it than others. We all feed our bodies, so we will have energy and be able to continue living. Some of us eat healthy diets, some don’t; there are foods that are good for us and enhance our lives and wellbeing, and foods that are bad for us and diminish our lives and wellbeing. We exercise, again some of us more than others. Just walking around during a normal day helps keep our muscles from totally atrophying. And, like food, some exercises are good for us, and some are not. To make sure we stay healthy or when we do get ill, we go to a doctor for help, purchase over-the-counter medicines, or just get some rest. And of course, there are doctors and medications that are good for us and ones that are not.
In the same way, most of us take care of our minds. We feed our minds by reading and learning, getting an education; we rely on parents, teachers, mentors, and even life coaches to help us. We exercise our minds by working puzzles, taking on challenges, or even by participating in a discussion with another human. Like our bodies, on those occasions when our minds and/or our emotions are out of alignment and we need help, we see a counselor whether a pastor, a psychologist/psychiatrist, or we simply talk to a friend. And like our bodies there is learning, mental exercises and counselors that are good for us and enhance our lives and ones that dimmish our lives.

We also need to feed, exercise, and get help for our souls. We need to feed our souls by spending time with God, reading the scriptures, or simply enjoying some quiet time, particularly when we do so in nature. We exercise our souls by practicing spiritual disciplines like meditation, fasting, giving, journaling, mission work, etc. When our souls are not aligned with God, we need to seek help from others to guide us and show us the Way. We may seek help from pastors, spiritual directors, mentors, and often family and friends who are themselves in tune with God. And, of course, like the body and mind, there are foods, exercises and people who are good for our souls and help us develop a deeper relationship with God and with one another, and those who diminish those relationships.
We need to focus as much on caring for our souls as we do for other aspect of our lives. A healthy soul can keep us from getting ill, or depressed, or at the very least help us heal quicker when we do. If you are not sure how to begin, find someone who does know, and get the help you need to get started, so you can honestly say, “It is well with my soul.”