Self-Care for the Christian
Back to Basics
Even if my father and mother abandon me,
the Lord cares for me. (Psalm 27:10)
Last year I struggled with self-care, the idea, the narrative. I found some friends also struggled with what we were reading from the ‘net because the ideas fell apart in front of the challenges we faced. But it wouldn’t leave my mind.
So, between tears and fears, I stumbled upon a verse some days ago; Proverbs 19:8
To acquire wisdom is to love oneself; people who cherish understanding will prosper.
Basically, Self-Love = Get Wisdom. Some other versions say it’s sense, lol. “Whoever gets sense loves his own soul; he who keeps understanding will discover good”
So how do we get wisdom? Proverbs 1:7, Proverbs 9:10, Psalm 111:10, Job 28:28, Ecc 12:13 basically say the same thing.
Fear of the LORD is the foundation of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment
Therefore any self-love/self-care without God/God-care is not wise, e no go get sense. In all that we do, we must remember whose we are and go there. The Bible is a treasure chest for so many ways on how to deal with living in this world. From God’s own words, do not be afraid, don’t be anxious, to the call to pray, rejoice always. There’s much to get.
1 Peter 5:6–7: Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your care on Him, because He cares about you.
Job 10:12: You gave me life and faithful love, and Your care has guarded my life
Psalm 95:7: For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, the sheep under His care
Last week, the leader of my fellowship group gave me a book to read, called Zeal without Burnout by Christopher Ash.
I took the book thinking to myself, even though I don’t tend towards burnout (Laziness is my thing) I’ll read it to help others. Turns out, the book still applies heavily to my life and I suspect everyone. So here are a few things we ought to pay attention to as we consider self-care in the light of God-care;
Sleep
Sleep never used to be my issue until last September when I started waking up about 3am/4am with adrenaline pumping through my body. Now, I’m reminded once again, to prioritize it. One of the things that keeps us awake is worry, need to finish the work!, the deadline!, what would the people say!, why didn’t I say that!, what if I die in my sleep! So much to think about. Being able to just rest is an exercise in trust in the One who neither sleeps nor slumbers.
Some words to meditate on;
Psalm 3:5 “I lie down and sleep: I wake again, because the Lord sustains me”
Psalm 4:8 “In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety”
Prov 3:24 “When you lie down, you will not be afraid, when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet”
Sabbath
Instead of this being a source of debate, let it be a source of self-care. Taking one day off in a week is the bare minimum. Remember that in Christ, you are already in rest, you rest from your works (Heb 4:10) now act like it. I personally have no issue with taking days off, what I need to bring to rest is my anxious mind but the battle is on!.
Mark 2:27 “The Sabbath was made for man” Let God be God, and take the rest that you need!
Friendship
“It is not good for man to be alone” We are made for relationship. Last year was a massive lesson in the appreciation of friends and friendship. A lot of self-care literature neglect this. My friends encouraged me, prayed for me, wrote prayers and poems, listened to me, made food for me, flew over seas for me, celebrated with me, wept with me, made time for stubborn me! lol. We must have friends we can express our hearts to, be vulnerable with.
Friendships influence us for the better or worse, so we must be wise and careful in the choices we make. As someone who doesn’t make friends easily, being intentional and disciplined about it has brought it’s rewards. One way I did this was to pray for people by listing their names in an app, Prayermate. Everyday it throws up a random name whom I pray for and make the effort to reach out to if we haven’t spoken in 2–4 weeks.
Let’s make the effort to go deep, to invest in friendships that remind us of God’s love and truths both in words and deeds.
Ecc 4:9–10: Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.
Acts 27:3: The next day we put in at Sidon, and Julius treated Paul kindly and allowed him to go to his friends to receive their care.
1 Thessalonians 2:8: We cared so much for you that we were pleased to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us.
Internal Refreshment
Those beautiful moments of quiet, guard them. The time of prayer, study and praise, don’t neglect them. Just as our bodies need rest, our spirit and soul need refreshment so we can express the best of ourselves in the world.
Jeremiah 31:25: I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.
Learn more about the type of person you are, I’ve made every member of my team take this: https://www.16personalities.com/ Tools like this would help you understand yourself better, we would also be clear on the things that refresh our spirits. As an INFJ (Introverted Intuitive with a huge desire to express feelings and live in an ordered loving world, lol) I get refreshed by quiet times alone, reading, reflection, music, nature, water, laughter, conversations around ideas, the future and abstracts, food! creating, writing… I want to do more play. Some people are refreshed by being in the midst of people for long periods, not me. Know yourself.
Take time to learn what energizes and drains you in terms of emotions, the physical, intellectually, relationally. The more refreshed you are, the better you can give to the world and you have so much to give!
Philemon 1:7: I take great joy and encouragement in your love, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints.
John 4:14: But whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a fount of water springing up to eternal life.”
So let’s self-check every now and again; am I getting enough sleep?, Am I being energized by the right things?, Have I been able to express beauty into the world? Am I investing in great friendships? In being a great friend? Most of all, where is our heart? Are we surrendering all control to God, resting in God’s grace, in Love.
“May Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God Our Father, who loved us and by His grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word”
Peace xx
