for the soul

And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? {Matthew 16}

Some days my soul feels stretched like dough, enlarged and translucent, waiting to tear. On occasion it does. This last week, I’ve been a little quieter here, practicing stillness and patience again, gathering my spread-too-thin soul back into a lump. The Autumn season is always busy for us, and I’ve learned it’s important to take periods of rest in the midst of it. I’ve thought about these particular words in Matthew and the ones that precede them much lately: the paradox of releasing life in order to gain it, the idea that our souls are our most valuable asset, not to be expended flippantly. I’m grateful to read them again, to remember what and whom my soul really needs.