I know next to nothing about wine other than it is red or white. Clearly, you would never turn to me for wine advice or ask me what would go well with your dinner. Unless you want the einie, meanie, minnie, mo way of choosing a wine, I’m not helpful.

If you started the Build Your Trellis challenge last week, you have probably completed it, or are nearing the end. I wanted us to resist the urge to rush on too quickly to whatever is next for you; instead let’s practice savoring.

As I thought about this post and what I want to convey, the idea of a sommelier came to mind. So I set off exploring the history of sommeliers, and I loved the title of this post: “Thinking Drinking.” A sommelier doesn’t just help you find a wine that pairs well with a dish; she helps you to think about your meal and the ingredients. I can imagine that if I were to eat at a fancy restaurant and a sommelier explained why she recommended a particular wine and what went into it, I would notice aspects of my meal that I would notice aspects of my meal that I would have overlooked.

Isn’t this what the Holy Spirit helps us do?

The definition of a sommelier includes the phrase “a wine steward.” I love that way of looking at our jobs and callings. “I’m a ____(fill in the blank)_____ steward.”

The Build Your Trellis challenge felt like a sample plate with a little bit of all the pieces that make up life. Every day as I looked over the list of 16 items and chose one or two to do, and watched my trellis grow over the week, I was “thinking about my drinking,” so to speak.

Through the challenge I stewarded this life God has given me in mini-ways and looked at my life more holistically. Finances, yes, that’s important to me. Play, my soul, culture, prayer, supporters, grief, celebration, coworkers. Yes, they are important to me too.

So, before we move on to what this week has for us, let’s raise our metaphorical glass, pull out the trellis template one last time, and spend a few minutes savoring the challenge.

What stands out to you now that you’ve finished the challenge? I’m finding that my soul travels at a different pace than my mind and, at times, my calendar. Allow your soul to catch up to you. Part of being a “soul sommelier” is to learn the rhythms of noticing, listening, and responding. Not just reacting, reacting, and reacting.

Noticing, listening, and responding.

This is the rich type of life God has for you, but like my knowledge of actual wine, knowing about something is not the same thing as knowing something. On this Soul Tending Tuesday, spend a few minutes with the Triune God thinking about the challenge.

And if last week didn’t work for you, do the challenge this week. It’s never too late to be a Soul Sommelier.

Happy Soul Tending Tuesday, friend.

Photo by Trevor Gerzen on Unsplash