News: Summer, Sun and Soul Work!: News: Summer, Sun and Soul Work!
News: Summer, Sun and Soul Work!
Date Added: 01/07/2026 @ 10:06am
I love the summer! As an eternal optimist I am hopeful that we will return to some hot sunny days, like the few we’ve just had. I love the feel of the sun on my face. I love cooling off in the water, floating around on my donut. I love eating outside. I love the gift of freedom the summer provides. I love hearing the children laugh and play. I just love it. I love the change of rhythm the summer brings - more opportunities to meet with friends, to talk, to laugh, to think and reflect. It’s a time to recharge our batteries and to find refreshment.
Since I came out of hospital, I have been doing a lot of thinking and reflecting. One of my favourite authors who has helped me as I ponder and pray is a woman called Margaret Silf. My granddaughter may well be a Swifty but I am definitely a Silfy! Margaret calls it our ‘Soul Work’. She asks the question: Have you done your Soul Work today/this week/this month/ this year? She would argue that Soul Work is a necessary and vital thing to do. We spend so much time and effort working: our jobs, in our homes, in our gardens, for our families, for our churches but how much time do we give to working on our souls? It’s a good question.
John Ortberg, tells this story. It goes something like this:
High up in the Alps there was a town. Through the town there was a beautiful stream. The waters of the stream came from springs of water that were as old as the earth and as deep as the sea.
The water was pure and clear. Children played in it. Swans and geese swam in it. Fish swam in its depths.
Right at the top of the hill was a very old man. Long ago he had been hired as the Keeper of the Stream. He looked after the springs that fed the stream. He removed fallen branches and leaves and anything that might pollute the water. No one ever saw him do it. Most people had forgotten he existed.
One day the Town Council held a meeting. They had lots of things they needed to do with their money: pot holes to repair, services to offer. The decision was made that the Keeper of the Stream was no longer necessary. It was a luxury they couldn’t afford.
So, the old man left. The springs that he had looked after were neglected. Over time, the stream turned stagnant. At first no one noticed. Then the water turned brackish. The swans and geese flew away. People in the town became ill. The town no longer had a beautiful clear stream running through it. The stream had become an eye-sore, a hazard! The life of the town depended on the stream, and the life of the stream depended on the Keeper.
The Council regretted their decision. Money was found. The Keeper of the Stream was re-employed. Illness was replaced by health. The swans returned. The children played. The town came back to life.
The stream is your soul. And you are the keeper.
As theologian Dallas Willard writes: ‘Our soul is like a stream of water, which gives strength, direction, and harmony to every other area of our life… The most important thing in your life is not what you do; it’s who you become. That’s what you will take into eternity.’
May the Son shine on you this Summer and give you the time and space to have some fun and to do a little Soul Work!
With love and prayers,
Steph
