Happy New Year, happy new Horizon Texas Conference UWFaith, happy new leadership team, and happy new ways of growing in Spirit as we concentrate on Soul Care in 2025.

What a thrill it was for me to learn at our recent UWFaith Leadership Development Days (conference) that the organization is placing great emphasis on soul care in 2025. For, like apple trees that survive by soaking up life-giving water through their roots from an underground stream so they can bear fruit, we soak up water from God’s underground life-giving spiritual water in our souls to bear God’s fruit of the Spirit.

But like trees, if our roots become dry and hard because we let the underground stream run dry, don’t tend to and fertilize them, and allow them to rest, the apples we want reap will fail to mature. Eventually, the trees will no longer bear fruit at all. Too often women believe we need to be everything to all people, including God, 24/7/52 in all circumstances, we feel we can’t take time, energy, space, and other resources to tend our soul properly. Maybe we even think that taking care of our soul is selfish—even knowing that the soul is the place where our living God resides.

So, what does soul care entail? The main thing we need to understand is that it’s so much bigger than joining a soul care page on Facebook, reading the latest best seller on soul care and then moving on to the next book, or attending a couple of soul care retreats each year. All three are worth our time. Yet, each lacks in the crucial elements of deep down, ongoing soul work that lead us to spiritual growth, our ability to serve others, and pay close attention to God’s role in our life.

The problem is that Facebook, podcasts, and soul related blogs and books can be superficial because generally they don’t require or spur us on to think deeply, much less to action. Retreats are wonderful ways of spending time with God through meditation, hearing speakers, and partaking of discussions and activities. I think of them as necessary boosters for soul care. But when we go home, the shine fades as we get back to our daily lives.

This year, we’ll focus on maintaining continual soul care by through small ways. Then in April we’ll all meet for a two-day/night, in person soul care retreat of sisterhood, learning opportunities, group and one-on-one discussions, practicing soul care activities, and just hanging out with God that will fill our souls and make our spirits soar. I can’t wait!

In the meantime, watch for this Soul Care column here on our website and in our newsletters where you’ll find daily and weekly activities.

Peace, blessings, and love,

Karen

Karen Kaigler-Walker, Spiritual Growth Coordinator

United Women in Faith -- Horizon Texas Conference