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Taking care of ourselves might have been quite lovely if it all it entails is taking care of our bodies and physical appearance, but sadly (or maybe happily), it does entail more than that. Taking care of our bodies is the first step of all the steps to taking care of our whole selves.
There are three areas I would suggest we take care of ourselves based on our creation as tripartite beings.
Body:
We all know we should take care of our bodies. We are mostly addressed the way we are perceived even without saying a word. Our appearance is our first business card, being the very first point of contact. We want to look great and have a lasting impression, not only as a business person but as an individual. So we never can rule out taking care of our bodies. It is vital.
Soul:
Hmmmh, here comes the next one (in no particular order).
Many people confuse the soul with the spirit. They are two separate entities living in one body. The soul is the seat of our reasoning. It actively controls the distribution and interpretation of knowledge. When we read good books, watch great videos, attend great seminars, the soul benefits. The level at which we feed/ take care of our souls is the level at which it will give back to us. Essentially, it’s – Garbage in garbage out. It’s just like putting money in a personal safe at home- when you have it, you have it, and when you don’t- you don’t. A well fed soul will prosper. Little wonder Paul prayed and wished in the book of 3 John 1:2 that- “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.” A healthy soul prospers, but it doesn’t just come. It comes with great efforts applied.
It is very essential to cloth our soul which houses our mind, with great things. Things that will benefit it and in turn benefit us too; even the world at large. Do not neglect yourself for any reason. Polish your mind as well as your body so when you speak and relate, you do so with a lot of dignity and wisdom.
Last but not the least-
Spirit
This is very vital and cannot be over emphasized. I wrote a poem sometimes ago and it has this to say about the spirit:
Feed your soul
It is the seat of reasoning
Feed your spirit
It is the seat of power-
The headquarters.
Feed your body
It is the seat of strength, vitality
And the vehicle of both the soul
And the spirit.
Three in one.
Total health
The spirit is vital, it is the breath, life and inspiration in us. As said in the poem, it is the ‘headquarters’ of who we are. One of the ways we can take great care of our spirit is by praying. Daily prayer helps sharpen our spirit man to receive from God and also to keep close and firm touch with Him, especially when we speak in tongues. According to Romans 8: 26-27, praying in tongues enables us to pray the exact mind of God. There are no mistakes in the words uttered when we pray in tongues even though we most times do not understand the utterances. It is our spirit in direct contact with God’s Spirit.
Reading the Bible is also one of the ways to take care of our spirit. Reading God’s Word is Him speaking expressly to us: He authored the writing of the Book.
We can also listen to great messages, read great books and worship.
Summarily, with regards to the spirit, Ephesians 6:10-18 encourages us to guard ourselves with truth, hold up the shield of faith so we can block out every fear, doubt that the enemy may throw at us, and also take up our sword of the spirit which is the Word of God, amidst other admonitions. Taking adequate care of our spirit will keep us well grounded in life, and in everything we do.
I would like to leave us with this thought: imagine a naked body walking all around who hasn’t taken her bath for years, haven’t brushed for years, no shaving, no cloth, no lotion, no ointment; basically nothing. Imagine the kind of odor and stench that would ooze out from such person? She would most likely amass a lot of pity and maybe fear in people as to the state of her mind. We don’t want to be like that woman with regards to our soul and spirit. We want to strive to keep learning and grooming ourselves to be the very best by investing daily in our soul, and spirit, just like we take our baths regularly and take great care of our bodies. We want to be intentional.
We may take great care of
our sons and daughters, spouses, siblings….but’s let’s always remember- “if you
don’t take care of you, who will?” The answer is nobody. Nobody knows you like
you, and as a result, nobody can take great care of you like you.
This article though written by Eniola Olaosebikan first appeared on Tamara McCarthy's blog, 2017
I call this the 3D growth. We can't concentrate too much on one at the detriment of other. If all we concentrate on is our physical body, we will become carnal. Let's bear in mind that the body is just an earth suit that we will give up eventually. Same way if we concentrate too much on our soul we might end up becoming too proud. We would have this knowledge overload and we know knowledge puffs up. Grooming the spirit is important, for me I think it's key. But think about it like this, once your body begins to degenerate you will give up your spirit in a matter of time. So hence the need to take care of the 3 dimensions we consist of.
ReplyDeleteI can't agree more with you on the fact that we are solely responsible for the care of our spirit, soul and body. So even while we take care of others we should give premium to our care too. The truth is, you really can't give what you don't have.
Thanks for this week's blog post dear Soul Writer.
Thank you @Adeteju. A pleasure to serve.
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