Restoring My Soul

By Camille Gauthier, Chicago, USA

Scripture Readings

• Matthew 11:28-30
• Psalm 23

A few years ago, during a virtual midweek, we were asked to find an item in our house that demonstrated how we felt right then. Most people brought candles or lights, to show how happy they were to be meeting together. I didn’t share mine; I was embarrassed. Everyone else had chosen positive emotions. But I had grabbed a bottle of shower gel. I’d had the shower gel for several months, many weeks passed when it should have been empty. Every time I went to use it, I’d say to myself, “It’s definitely empty now.” Yet there would always be plenty enough for me to take a shower, and even more than that—sometimes more would spill out than I actually needed.

I had chosen that item from a negative place in my heart. I was thinking, “I’ve been so tired and drained and depressed and stressed lately. I barely even have enough strength in me to attend this midweek. I’m like this bottle of shower gel that keeps having to give even though I’m empty.”

But when I told a sister later what I had chosen that day, she led me to see it in a more positive way.

I saw constantly giving of myself as a negative thing. I was angry about spending energy I didn’t have. But in reality, it was a blessing from God. If it were up to me, I would have been holed up in my apartment not speaking to anyone except my cat and my roommates, not going anywhere except to work, and not serving my church family the way I needed to in our small congregation (in the state where I lived at the time). I would be that empty bottle. But instead, God was giving me all the energy I needed. I would be empty alone, but with God, my soul would continuously be refreshed. I could last for much longer with Him than I ever would without Him.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Matthew 11:28-30

What a comforting scripture! How incredibly relieving to be told that we will be given rest! Isn’t it the best thing in the world to be told, “Just sit down and rest?” It’s nice to hear this from a person, so how much greater it is to be told by Jesus, who rules over all, that He will bring us rest?

He tells us to take His yoke—but this yoke is no burden. It’s much easier than the burden we put on ourselves when we try to go it alone! Think of when you’re carrying something heavy. At my job, I often lift packages up to 50 lbs. (about 22 kg). What if someone came to me and said, “Here, take my package instead.” And I’m given an envelope that weighs just a few ounces, or less than half a kilogram? I would be so relieved!

To receive true, deep refreshment for our souls, it takes letting go of relying on ourselves or looking to our situations to make us feel refreshed. For me, I have clinical anxiety, which makes it hard for me to find rest on my own. I can’t count the number of times I’ve reached out to God in prayer while experiencing moments of high anxiety and stress, and suddenly a huge wave of relief comes over me. At those times, it doesn’t make sense; it’s only God who has refreshed me and calmed me.

As we go through this holiday season, I want to encourage you, my sisters, to continue to look to God to refresh your soul. It’s easy to get wrapped up in end-of-year tasks, whether it’s at work, for church events, or making plans to spend time with family. We can feel like that empty bottle of shower gel that has nothing left. But if we seek God and let Him give us rest, we will receive refreshment for our very souls.

Questions for Reflection

1. Thinking back to the empty bottle of shower gel, how have you seen God refresh you even when you’ve felt like you were completely emptied out?
2. What does “soul refreshment” mean to you? What does it feel like? What does it look like when you are experiencing it?
3. In Psalm 23:2, it says that the Lord “makes me lie down in green pastures” and “leads me beside quiet waters.” What are some ways that you have seen God’s hand leading you to rest and refreshment?

Today I will

Spend some time today allowing God to refresh and restore your soul. Read slowly through Psalm 23. Try reading it aloud to yourself several times. What words or phrases speak to you? Breathe deeply and let the words sink in. Ask God to open your eyes to see and feel the refreshment He is giving your soul today. 

About the Author

Camille Gauthier grew up in the Chicago area and has lived in many places, but now is back home in Chicago. She was baptized as a teen in the Chicago Church in 2008. Camille holds a degree in Asian Languages and Literatures from the University of Minnesota. While a student, she spent a semester studying at Konkuk University in Seoul, South Korea, where she worshipped with the Seoul Church of Christ. She speaks Korean and French and hopes to live abroad again someday. She begins graduate school in January, pursuing a master’s degree in library and information science.