Director of Spiritual Care Jim Andrews
Hand hygiene is such a focus in health care because we know that bacteria is so frequently passed from one person to another with our hands. All those microscopic germs which we can’t even see cause all kinds of sickness and misery. Talk to a nurse sometime – they will tell you! When we clean our hands regularly, we can prevent spreading bacteria to others and keep ourselves and all those we come into contact with healthy and happy.
The same is true with our spirits. The “bacteria” of the soul are things like bitterness, cynicism, self-centeredness, anger, fear, greed, etc. When we are exposed to these things, the can enter our spirit and cause a sickness of the soul in the same way that germs can pass on a stomach virus. But how can we “clean” our souls? There are no bottles of soul sanitizer in our supply closets, right? Soul hygiene is practiced through things like meditation, gratitude, joy, prayer, forgiveness, compassion, hope, and focusing on the needs of others.
So, whenever you wash your hands today, check in with your soul as well. Make sure that you greet others with clean hands and a clean spirit!
Have a great week, everyone!
Jim