I hate laundry. I’d much rather scrub a bathroom than fold shirts and match socks. I avoid it way more than I should. If it were up to me, I’d never wash another load again. I’d march myself to the nearest salon and get my nails done. But I am called to self-sacrifice, not self-care. I know what you’re thinking… Maybe it’s the colloquial phrase “you can’t pour from an empty cup” that comes to mind. It does for me too, so hear my out. I’m not denying the truth the phrase contains or the fact that I, myself, enjoy the occasional massage or solo trip to Target. However, these things are not my primary calling and when I prioritize self-care over my calling to “lay down my life” I sin and get things out of order. You will not find “you can’t pour from an empty cup” in the Bible. You will however find verses like these.
The importance of self-care As humans, we have limitations. At the core of self-care is remembering this truth. We need sleep, we need food, we need exercise, we need mental health awareness. These are things that both the Bible and our experience supports. See (Ex. 20:8-10; Mark 6:31; Psalm 127:2) Recognizing our limits is Biblical. Paul famously said, “’My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9) In fact, practicing self-care is practicing good stewardship of the gift of our bodies. Our bodies and our minds matter. And they require care and constant attention. The limits of self-care The problem is, no amount of self-care can heal a broken soul. No amount of self-care can eradicate sin. No amount of self-care is enough to fill the God-shaped hole in each of our hearts. We will always feel empty, alone, over-whelmed, lost, and desperate apart from the healing and saving power of Jesus Christ. I can take all the trips to Target I want and get massages every week; I can take a girls weekend and go on a shopping spree, but none of that will heal what is broken and fill what is missing on the inside. Self-care has limits. For the deepest rest – rest for your soul – you must turn to the one who says “take my yoke upon you…and you will find rest for your souls.” The calling to self-sacrifice
As a mom, self-sacrifice is part of the job description. From the moment I became pregnant for the first time until today – three kids and 6 years later – my body, my choices, my space, my home, my schedule, my desires, my dreams, my plans are not my own but have been replaced with those fitting motherhood. Stewardship of our bodies and minds means recognizing its limits as well as its strengths and the calling that God has upon them. IT also means recognizing the person who truly owns our bodies. Hint, it isn’t us. When we live in obedience to the calling God has on our lives, we are able to steward our strengths for his glory and for our good. I’m a mom. If I put self-care in a position it doesn’t belong I risk neglecting my children, my husband, my home, and more. Being a mom requires self-sacrifice. IT takes daily dying to myself. It takes putting other people’s needs above my own. It takes putting other HAPPINESS above my own. It often requires pouring from an empty cup. And this is possible because, while I am not enough, Christ is. His cup is never empty. However, if I neglect self-care entirely, I risk personal injury or burnout. I risk mental health breakdowns and none of this will ultimately be good for my family. The motivation behind self care is not what it does for me but what it is able to do for those I am called to love more than myself. Even Jesus practiced self-care, Jesus rested beside the well, Jesus slept in the bottom of the boat, Jesus went to secluded places alone. If Jesus needed to do those things, how much more should I? But Jesus’s version of self care was not self indulgent but self-sustaining. It was to power him forward not to take him away. It was to connect Him with the father not connect Him with his own self. Balancing it All Self-care in its proper place is good for the body and glorifying to God. But that road can be slippery so awareness of my primary calling to lay down my life, take up my cross, and die to self must take precedent. I am not my own but I am Christ’s and He made me a mother, a wife, a friend, a daughter, a worker. These rolls are not distractions or necessary evils but they are the point and they are good.
5 Comments
Giscard
9/23/2019 12:04:16 pm
Balancing it all is that I had needed to consider. Self-denial should not border on self-destruction. That was the main takeaway for me. Thanks for the message. I appreciate its timeliness. God be with you!
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4/25/2020 01:41:18 am
Looking at this from a perspective of a parent, I understand why self-sacrifice would outweigh self-care. I totally understand where you are coming from and I agree that prioritizing self-care would mean that you will then be neglecting your children. For other people, though, self-care outweighs self-sacrifice and there is nothing wrong with this. I think it all depends on the person's priority in life. Some people, like myself, prioritize self-care because it gives me the peace of mind I need to be able to survive my everyday life. Whichever is applicable to you, I think the bottomline here is that self-care is essential for all of us.
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12/4/2019 06:50:14 am
My take away is, I'm so busy trying to take care of me, Me only, wasn't filling the void of my soul and I now realize I was neglecting God and my family. I now understanding the difference if self sacrifice vs self care. Great Blog 🙂
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Camilla
7/7/2020 12:34:48 am
This is really helpful as a new mum; trying to balance various roles and with my return to full time work on the horizon I needed to be reminded that although self-care is positive; it’s needs to be a form of self-care that brings me closer to God, that refreshes me in a way that prepares for God’s work in my life. Not self-indulgent as you say which I often try to justify! Thank you x
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Donna
1/27/2021 09:51:55 am
Thank you for letting God use you!! Just what I needed today!
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