Self-Care
Working long hours? Overwhelming schedule? Stressed? Facing some difficult challenges? It may be time for some self-care.
It's important to take care of yourself. Our mental and physical health can be hit hard when we don't take time to rest and recoup. Resting isn't laziness, in fact, it's a holy thing to do. Though God never grows weak or weary, He still chose to model this holy rhythm for us when He chose to rest after creating all that we know. And then He commanded we do the same.
“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. (Exodus 20:8-11)
We were created to pour out and be refilled. Much like we should be getting 6-8 hours of sleep a night, we need to take time during our weekly lives to rest and be refueled. The good news is that since the pandemic, people have been wising up to this need. Working-from-home has led to greater emphasis on work-life balance. People are thinking more proactively about their health. More people are likely to take a "mental health" day off than ever before. Experts are no longer shy about calling out the harmful side effects of social media on mental well-being. And companies, in general, have been implementing employee self-care programs as part of a larger, societal ESG goals.
The awareness of the need for self-care is there. The acceptance is there. There's just one problem. The self-care that we are taught to engage in can only accomplish so much. Worldly self-care is not the only way, and certainly not the best way that God intended for us to rest. He shares the best version of self-care we can partake in: Jesus Christ.
Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)
Jesus Christ is our ultimate way of engaging in self-care. We were created for a relationship with Him. We were designed to spend intimate time with Him. It is infused in our DNA and soul to require time with our Creator. Honoring the Sabbath that God ordained (refer back to Exodus 20:8-11) means being intentional and spending time with our LORD. It means communicating with Him. Can that be done with cucumbers and an exfoliating mask? Maybe and probably...but I have found the best form of self-care to occur when I'm on my knees, sharing my everything with God and focused intently on what God is trying to share with me.
I love going kayaking, fishing, and bowling with my buds for a couple hours. I know my wife loves to get her monthly massages. Great stuff! But this worldly refueling cannot be all we rely on. We need to refuel our soul daily and it needs to be our priority. If you don't have a relationship with Christ, that's one thing, but even for those that are Christians, many find themselves spiritually starved. I recently found myself in that situation. I was mistakenly accrediting my time serving God as the same as intimate time with Christ. To serve Christ whether it be at your church org or in the streets is not a replacement for that holy rest that God ordained.
Jesus' friend Mary understood that.
Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at [a]Jesus’ feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.” And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:38-42)
So before you cancel that spa day, stop and hear me out. We are still worldly beings and we have worldly needs. But we must give the greatest attention to self-care of our spiritual well-being. So keep that spa date and sure, call out of work if you need to for a day. But make room in your calendar daily for time with Jesus, the one who died to save you from damnation. It's the most profitable thing you can do for yourself.
For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come. (1 Timothy 4:8)
If you would like to know more about Jesus' gospel and salvation please follow this link:
Comentarios