A peek inside this post: Are you feeling a little burnt out and in need of refreshing? Self care is super trendy right now, but Christian mamas know that in order to truly take care of ourselves and feel fulfilled, we need more than just a day of pampering. We need Soul Care! You might be wondering, “What is Soul Care?”. We’ll go over that in this post and cover the three most important parts of Soul Care for women. Are you ready? Let’s fuel up that beautiful soul of yours!
After any busy season, I tend to feel worn out.
I get distracted by the busyness of life and try to cut things out to add more sleep, but that only creates the desire for more sleep. And one crabby mama.
I feel tired, but I long for connection.
Our current busy season is coming out of summer and transitioning into the school year, but really, any season can be a busy one. I’m trying to put things in place so I can keep myself from Total Meltdown Mode.
I’m pretty sure I am not the only one who has spent the summer meeting the needs and wants of all around me, and am feeling a little malnourished in my soul. It is time for some serious soul care!
(Psstt: After you’re done reading this post, hop over to our free devo for burned out moms!)
What is Soul Care?
You know that self care is super on trend, and have probably heard a hundred times to “take time for you.” And while we absolutely advocate for doing things you like and having a little “me” time, the truth is that it’s only fulfilling in the temporary. (Check out our biblical self care devotional for something deep!)
Soul Care goes a step further.
Rather than just taking care of yourself in a worldly sense, Soul Care is fostering your spiritual health.
Just Homemaking
Soul Care for Christian Women goes so much further and means so much more than a bubble bath and a glass of wine, or that mani/pedi you finally scheduled. And hear me, please, that there is nothing wrong with doing those things! We at Just Homemaking encourage them!
But we also know that you can do all the self care and pampering in the world, and still feel void in places that only a relationship with Christ can fulfill.
To help you and me, I’ve made a list of how I desire to get my Soul Care Train back on track.
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Soul Care for Women in 3 Primary Areas
I believe that real Soul Care for women and Soul Care for Christian homemakers can be broken up into three key solutions. Without these, it’s unlikely that we will ever truly feel fulfilled.
1| Diving into His Word
Usually my spiritual well-being is tied directly to the amount of time I have spent in the word of God.
My first logistical goal is to get up before my kids so that I can have quality time with the Lord. This is so hard for me because I am a night owl. I try not to add guilt or pressure to get up early, but I remind myself that it is a privilege to get up and spend time with Him.
Next, I find a study on a Bible app, Amazon, or in the book store, and I dive in.
There are always free options. Your local library will have great choices, and there are bible apps that have amazing resources. It is always tough to know which study to pick when there are so many out there, so I usually ask my friends.
Since you and I are friends, I am sharing some of my very favorites books and studies with you:
- YouVersion– A Bible App that provides thousands of studies on topics related to any interest. You can also connect with friends and do studies together.
- Dance, Stand, Run: The God-inspired Moves of a Woman on Holy Ground, by Jess Connolly
- Included in Christ: Living a New Story from Ephesians by Heather Holleman
- It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way: Finding Unexpected Strength When Disappointments Leave You Shattered by Lysa TerKeurst
- Made For This: 40 Days to Living Your Purpose by Jennie Allen
- 100 Days to Brave by Annie F. Downs: Devotions for Unlocking Your Most Courageous Self (devotional— can be found on Youversion app)
- The Armor of God by Priscilla Shirer: 7 Session Study on The Power of the Armor of God (can be found on Youversion app)
>>>Podcasts are a great option too! Check out our list of Best Christian Podcasts for Moms!
I also feel compelled to say, there is nothing more rich than the Word of God straight from the bound book. When you sit in front of it and see the verses that have come to life in other seasons, and how that mingles with the smell of the pages and the sound of those crisp pages turning – you just can’t beat experiencing the fullness of God in that way.
The thing I always have to remind myself is that there is so much grace. I am not in a competition to finish a study, but I am blessed by my time with Jesus.
2| Reconnecting with The Hubs
When I start to get my soul back on track, I can look at other areas in my life with more clarity. One of those areas is my marriage.
I don’t know if anyone else has experienced this, but when the busy season hits, it usually means our marriage gets put on the back burner.
I really desire reconnecting with my hubby, and I don’t want him to be low priority. When the schedule is full, our time is usually filled with a lot of fun, but not a lot of 1 on 1. We all know the statistics on marriage, so it is so important to stay connected.
There are some seasons that the goal is quality over quantity.
It always helps us when we commit to put away screens more often so we can see each other. The distractions will always be there, but we have to make the active decision to choose each other above the noise.
We are moving into a stage where all of our kiddos are in school. I can’t believe we are already here! It felt like we would always have a baby, but that came to a close quicker than “they” even warned.
I loved the stage of having babies, and if you have babies in your home, hold on tight! Time flies when you’re having fun (and when you’re changing lots of diapers).
This new busy season consists of evenings full of activities for six kids, so we have to be creative with our date times. We picked Friday mornings because our little one is in preschool and my hubs has Fridays off. I can almost smell the coffee at the different coffee shops we will visit this fall as we head out on our morning adventures.
Even when there isn’t time to connect, I often pray that God will remind me of the love we shared when we first fell in love, and deepen it daily. If we ask, God works in and through us to renew us and keep our marriage strong.
Nicole Sniff, Just Homemaking
At Just Homemaking, this is an issue near and dear to our hearts, and we have written on it extensively. Read these great posts to help foster connection with your spouse:
- Prioritizing Marriage (even when your kids’ needs are screaming louder than your husband’s)
- 7 Keys to a Healthy Marriage
- How to Fight for Your Marriage
- Effortless Dating Ideas for Married Couples
3| Refreshing Friendships
God made us for community! I can’t wait to refresh friendships that I have missed over the summer.
Investing in friends fills up my soul, and living in community has always been something that fuels my life. I strongly desire more time for coffee dates and slow lunches while processing (or recovering from) the busy season.
>> Read Christian Hospitality Ideas and WHY It’s So Important
Joining with my friends to study the word of God is another thing that fuels my life. Maybe the goal is to figure out what fuels your life and figure out a way to make it happen!
Soul Care for You
Even the busy seasons have beauty in them. Look back and remember God’s goodness, and then move forward in new rhythms of grace and a desire to be refreshed by God. Every new season is an opportunity to get excited about what God is going to do next!
I have mentioned before that anyone can start a study group. There is no pressure to be perfect. Just bring yourself (imperfections and all), your book, your Bible, and a desire to grow in Christ.
Check out your local church to see if they have any groups that you can join.
We also want to welcome you into our community of Christian Moms and Homemakers!
At Just Homemaking, our goal is to encourage Christian Moms to create a thriving home from the inside out… and that includes making sure you’re thriving, Sister in Christ! Click this image below to subscribe to our weekly newsletter and join our community!
Related Posts:
Resting in God’s Grace: a Quick Guide for Moms – Moms and stress tend to go hand-in-hand, but we are here to tell you that God has an abundance of grace for moms! Read these tips for resting in God’s grace and trusting in Him!
15 Simple Solutions When You’re in a Funk or Feeling Blah -Looking for some straightforward, uncomplicated things that you can do when you’re just not feeling like yourself? Check out this list!
Open Letter to Myself on My Birthday -This is an open letter to myself on my birthday, but it’s just as much an open letter for you on your birthday, too! Take a journey with me through the feelings a birthday brings as you age.
Modern Homemaking for Christian Moms – No matter what society and culture would have you believe, there IS fulfillment to be found in your roles as a wife, mom, and homemaker! Biblical homemaking honors God and He will meet you as you start embracing homemaking in today’s world.
A Challenge for Women: Choosing Joy through Grief – Suffering from grief and loss? Let’s work through those hard feelings together and learn to lean on God, and choose His joy in the midst of our hardship.
This is great, Nicole! It’s so hard to take care of our heart and soul when we are so busy pouring life into our families.
Great reminders on how to be intentional when we’re worn out! I need to refresh on this every few months!
Hello, I have struggled for many years with the hard scripture in the Bible. It has been detrimental to my truly reading the Bible and making it a daily part of my life. I listened to the lies of evil telling me those things I read are me and that I have no hope because I was afraid and said no to God’s plans at a crucial time in my life. I regret that choice and only find myself longing and lonely for Him who made me, made us all. I struggle with my mind and my super literal thinking. I try to comprehend things beyond my understanding and wind up frightened and confused. I’m trying to learn trust and real love which the people I grew up with did not understand themselves whom I forgive for that. I made up a fake person and ego to get by and fit in so I would stop being rejected. I never knew who I really was and fought and rebelled. I don’t want to do that anymore. I’m tired and I know what I need is humility to heal all that is sick inside me. I am miserable without the Lord in my life yet I fear being controlled. Lots of things to work out. Thank you so much for your website. I came upon it at the right time. Dianne
Diane, thanks for meeting us here! I’m so glad you found this page. God is definitely wanting to remind you that He is pursuing your heart, and He is big enough to heal the hurts of your past. Praying that God continues to encourage your heart! We’ll be praying for your journey! You are so loved! ❤️