Soul Starvation
Scene 1: It was a pleasant and fairly warm fall day when we settled into the plane and began our flight across country to our new home in Chicago. I was excited about our destination and yet, in the months ahead, I experienced times of soul starvation due to loneliness and adjusting to new conditions (people, weather, culture, jobs).
Scene 2: It was a pleasant and fairly warm fall day when we squeezed into our cars and started traveling north to our new home in Oregon. I was excited about our destination and yet, in the months ahead, I experienced times of soul starvation due to similar feelings of loneliness and adjustment.
Scene 3: It was a cool day in March when I woke up, ready to see the new flowers that welcome spring in Oregon, and to make that week’s connections with people and needed tasks. But there was something very wrong. The pandemic had exploded and our state was shutting down. I realized I was heading into a time of greater social isolation where I would experience some times of soul starvation.
We all know that physical starvation occurs when we can’t get enough food and water. Yet we may not realize that our souls also can starve without enough nourishment. And that nourishment comes from relationships; relationships with God and with other human beings who have been made in his image.
In the first two scenes I described, the relocations were the result of our own choices, and we simply had to deal with the consequences of our decisions. We also did not face any restrictions that would impede us from moving forward. In the case of the pandemic, however, we’re facing something we did not choose. Something unprecedented. And because of our mandated isolation, we’re all facing restrictions. We’re dealing with difficult, long-term adjustments that are impacting our hearts and our souls.
How things will unfold in our culture remains to be seen. My focus is this: What can we do to help nourish ourselves during this season where we might be experiencing some soul starvation?
We can offer ourselves grace. By that I mean we don’t beat ourselves up when we struggle to complete things as quickly as we want, or when we find ourselves distracted or worried. We might struggle with focus, or low energy levels, or irritability, or…. It’s okay. We simply need to recognize such things as a symptom of our soul starvation.
What to do? Seek God and talk to him about it. Allow ourselves some times to pause and talk to God about what’s stirring inside. He understands, and wants to offer us a place to find rest from our soul distress. Take some time to thank him for his presence with you in this journey, to praise him for the things that you canenjoy. Ask him for strength to face your difficulties, for comfort when you feel depressed and anxious, for peace when you struggle with an unknown future. Allow him to give you his grace – his favor and love.
And then, in whatever relationships you can have, be grateful and deeply invest. It may be on Zoom, or via phone or text. It may be a personal visit but not sharing physical closeness. However and whenever you can connect with others, intentionally engage and listen more closely. Take time to express your views and feelings, to give thanks for the other person, to enjoy the jokes or laughter you can. Appreciate the gifts of others in your life in whatever ways you can experience that.
Scene 2: It was a pleasant and fairly warm fall day when we squeezed into our cars and started traveling north to our new home in Oregon. I was excited about our destination and yet, in the months ahead, I experienced times of soul starvation due to similar feelings of loneliness and adjustment.
Scene 3: It was a cool day in March when I woke up, ready to see the new flowers that welcome spring in Oregon, and to make that week’s connections with people and needed tasks. But there was something very wrong. The pandemic had exploded and our state was shutting down. I realized I was heading into a time of greater social isolation where I would experience some times of soul starvation.
We all know that physical starvation occurs when we can’t get enough food and water. Yet we may not realize that our souls also can starve without enough nourishment. And that nourishment comes from relationships; relationships with God and with other human beings who have been made in his image.
In the first two scenes I described, the relocations were the result of our own choices, and we simply had to deal with the consequences of our decisions. We also did not face any restrictions that would impede us from moving forward. In the case of the pandemic, however, we’re facing something we did not choose. Something unprecedented. And because of our mandated isolation, we’re all facing restrictions. We’re dealing with difficult, long-term adjustments that are impacting our hearts and our souls.
How things will unfold in our culture remains to be seen. My focus is this: What can we do to help nourish ourselves during this season where we might be experiencing some soul starvation?
We can offer ourselves grace. By that I mean we don’t beat ourselves up when we struggle to complete things as quickly as we want, or when we find ourselves distracted or worried. We might struggle with focus, or low energy levels, or irritability, or…. It’s okay. We simply need to recognize such things as a symptom of our soul starvation.
What to do? Seek God and talk to him about it. Allow ourselves some times to pause and talk to God about what’s stirring inside. He understands, and wants to offer us a place to find rest from our soul distress. Take some time to thank him for his presence with you in this journey, to praise him for the things that you canenjoy. Ask him for strength to face your difficulties, for comfort when you feel depressed and anxious, for peace when you struggle with an unknown future. Allow him to give you his grace – his favor and love.
And then, in whatever relationships you can have, be grateful and deeply invest. It may be on Zoom, or via phone or text. It may be a personal visit but not sharing physical closeness. However and whenever you can connect with others, intentionally engage and listen more closely. Take time to express your views and feelings, to give thanks for the other person, to enjoy the jokes or laughter you can. Appreciate the gifts of others in your life in whatever ways you can experience that.
God will get us through this. We all not only can survive this pandemic, but actually can thrive as we lean on God, as we give ourselves grace, and as we invest in others. And as we do, God can – and will – nourish our souls.
Let’s refuse to surrender to soul starvation.
Let’s refuse to surrender to soul starvation.
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