Understanding the connection between body, soul, and spirit can be confusing.
I went through a season where I didn’t fully grasp it myself. I often related my struggles to natural circumstances, without realizing something deeper was going on. This brief moment in my life serves as a reminder of why staying connected to God is so important. Reading scripture, staying sensitive to the Holy Spirit, and prayer are essential ways to stay connected.

Just before the pandemic, I was working at a credit union. I had many days where I’d go into work just fine but leave feeling troubled, overwhelmed, and depleted. Because we tend to focus on the natural, I assumed I simply didn’t like my job. I had no idea something deeper was at play.

After the pandemic hit and I left the credit union, I noticed a shift. I was rarely around more than a few people throughout the day. I realized I no longer felt that same emotional heaviness. That seemed to confirm what I had already believed: I just didn’t like my job.

But what I’ve come to realize is that it was never really about the job.

I was encountering so many people each day. As I shared in my first blog post, one of the primary ways God communicates with me is through feeling. Because I was around so many people, I was unknowingly taking on emotions and burdens that didn’t belong to me. I didn’t have the awareness or spiritual connection to recognize that at the time.

Looking back, I realize something important. If I had been more connected to God, I would have had the discernment I needed. I would have recognized what was mine and what wasn’t.

This is just one example of how things happening in the spiritual realm can show up in the natural. When we focus only on what we can see, we often apply natural solutions to spiritual problems. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes there is a natural solution to your problem. But if we’re never spiritually connected, we won’t have the ability to know the difference.

Are there “natural” problems in your life that keep showing up repeatedly? Have you tried multiple solutions, but nothing seems to work?

It’s very clear there’s a spiritual element at play.

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
— Ephesians 6:12 (KJV)

Take a moment this week to ask God for discernment. What in your life feels like a natural struggle but is actually rooted in something spiritual? Journaling, prayer, and quiet time can help reveal what your spirit already knows. You were never meant to walk this life alone.