What Restores the Soul: The Three 'P's'

The soul can get completely drained, but what restores the soul? What can bring it back to life? People, places, and practices.

Life can be draining. Too much going or too much has gone on. Now it feels like the energy tank is on ‘E’. Empty, Exhausted and not Enough.

You have nothing in reserve and you know that tomorrow will probably be the same.

This has become a pattern.

You give and give. You know you can’t give out of an empty cup, but it feels like the smallest of droplets in the cup are being absorbed away by someone else’s tissue paper.

What Restores the Soul?

In Psalm 23, we read this:

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters;
he restores my soul.

But I want to know how.

It’s all very poetic, lovely, and nice, but I want to know how the Shepherd restores the soul.

How does God come and breathe new life into a burnt out soul?

I would suggest there are three ‘P’s’ involved in the restoring of the soul.

1. People

There are certain people that seem to have a restorative quality to them.

They are life givers, not drainers. Being with them seems to fill the cup. It maybe nothing they do or say, it might just be their presence. Their ‘being there’ seems to add something to the soul.

I am an introvert, meaning that I like my alone time and find my soul is restored by having quality alone time. But I also know the restoration from connecting with one or two other people. Smaller numbers, the better for me. Large conferences and events drain me.

Others re-energise through going to conferences and large events. The more the better. It’s like they feed off the energy of the room. Good for them. Go for it.

The important thing to remember is that we were never meant to go it alone. We need others and others need us. We were created for community and connection.

Some people can drain us of course and part of self awareness is to recognise these people and learn how to handle the relationship time so that it is less draining.

2. Place

‘Place’ is crucial to restoration. For some, it might be a connection with nature. A walk on the beach or in the mountains. Perhaps it’s visiting an art gallery or the theatre.

It could be a church building or the local cafe.

It’s a place and places help restore the soul.

Place offers us a context for connection.

I live in a beautiful area of New Zealand with wonderful coastline beaches. A few days ago, around sunset, I was driving to the shops for some groceries and I came around the corner and saw this sunset experience.

I was about to keep on driving when I thought ‘No, I must stop and enjoy this once in a lifetime sunset’. So I stopped and embraced the place. I soaked in the colours and the stillness. It restored my soul.

But it would have been so easy to drive on by.

There are also third places. A Third place is where you can relax in public. Where you see familiar faces and make new acquaintances. Read more about them here.

3. Practices

There are probably thousands of practices that restore the soul.

Everything from cooking, painting, cleaning, writing and, of course, sleep.

They are behaviours. Actions we take.

We think, we feel, but what behaviours or practices do we involve ourselves in that help to restore the soul?

What do intentionally, or unintentionally do to restore the soul?

If we think for a moment about some common spiritually focused practices, these could be

Meeting each week with a few others for worship and connection (what most call church)
Daily bible reading
Prayer
Meditation

It could even include a little afternoon nap.

The important thing is to take note of these practices and build them into your day.

A Centre that Restores the Soul

The Venn diagram below looks perfect. Tight exact circles.

But as we all know, life is not purrfect. It’s more squiggy, messy and unpredictable.

People are people – sometimes they fill, sometimes they drain.
Places change, move and alter.
Practices come and go.

The circles can separate where place becomes the focus, or the practice is the focus, where there may be no people involvement at all.

The important thing is to find that centred place where all three combine and being intentional about this.

Having a place, a few people, and with a practice.

Restoring Jesus’ Soul

As a final reflection, look over this story of how Jesus’ soul was restored.

Six days before Passover, Jesus entered Bethany where Lazarus, so recently raised from the dead, was living.

Lazarus and his sisters invited Jesus to dinner at their home.

Martha served. Lazarus was one of those sitting at the table with them.

Mary came in with a jar of very expensive aromatic oils, anointed and massaged Jesus’ feet, and then wiped them with her hair.

The fragrance of the oils filled the house. John 12:1-3

Who were the people involved in restoring the soul of Jesus’
What was the place?
What were the practices? (there is more than one)

Questions?
Comments?
Email me 🙂📨
barry@turningthepage.co.nz

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Quotes to consider

A refuge is anything that protects, nurtures, or uplifts you. Life can be hard, and everyone has difficult, uncomfortable experiences. We all need refuges. What are your own? Rick Hanson
The antidote to stress, depression, anxiety, despair is to be on then off, work play, inhale exhale, summer winter. Rhythm is built into creation, and the problem with the modern world is that you can get tomatoes at 2 am Rob Bell
If we do not regularly quit work for one day a week, we take ourselves far too seriously. The moral sweat pouring off our brows blinds our eyes to the action of God in and around us. Eugene H. Peterson

Questions to answer

What most restores your soul? People, place, or practices?
What practices do you have that restore a sense of wellness in you?
Restoring the soul doesn’t just happen. There needs to be an intentionality to the restoration. What stops you from doing this?

Formation exercise

List out the qualities of a person who is good at helping people restore their soul. List ten places that restore your soul. Create a list of 20 practices that restore your soul. Then look over the lists and share it with someone. (Maybe even me barry@turningthepage.co.nz)