DAY 3: The Concept of Care

When you address the importance of your self-care, you are admitting that there are spaces and voids that you cannot fill by following your regular daily routine. It requires you to create a regimen – nothing special or elaborate – but the kind of regimen that establishes the necessary boundaries so that self-care becomes a normal way of life.

We always use the reference of what we are told to do in the event of a plane crash, or in this instance, in case of a life crash, that you should place the oxygen mask on yourself first. The difficulty with that concept of care is that most of us don’t know when it's time to grab the mask because crashing is the norm. The constant issues of life, filled with its routine of demands and traumas, can give you indicators that you are crashing – but because it’s your norm, you don’t think much of it. You’ve become numb to the chaos and disconnection. The crashing unfortunately feels more like you are cruising and that everything is fine.

I didn’t process a personal definition of self-care when my friend challenged me to assess how I was prioritizing myself and my needs.

What about you?

How are you choosing to self-care?

What have been the lessons you have learned while trying to be self-aware?

Have your choices been reckless or righteous, or have you realized that you have been completely out of touch with yourself altogether?

What I have learned during this time is that caring for oneself is actually a biblical concept, though it is much different than how the world is defining it today.

Now when I think of self-care, I think of soul care. Seeing the concept of self-care now as a tactic to care for my soul, I have become more intentional in approaching my life in a holistic way with a spiritual lens.

When you do the kind of self-care that connects to the soul, you are paying close attention to the direction in which your mind, body, and spirit are moving, and how they are aligned with God’s desires for you.

The soul is the spiritual nature of humanity. The soul is the essence of you. The soul is made of three parts—the mind, the will, and the emotion - and after death, your soul will live again, in one place or another. Therefore, the greatest sign of soul care is you making a surrender to God by deciding to repent of your sins, confess Jesus as your Lord and Savior, being baptized for salvation, and totally devoting your life to Him.

And because we cannot save our own souls in a spiritual sense, we need Him to do that for us. We cannot do a better job at caring for ourselves than God can. So when we see self-care as a balance between humanity and divinity, we realize we are caring for every aspect of our lives through God's guidance.

Answer these questions and reflect on your answers:

1. Reflect on a time when God provided rest and renewal for your soul. How can you cultivate more of those moments?
2. How can you discern between healthy self-care and selfishness while seeking God's guidance in setting priorities?

Affirm and declare these statements:

• Caring for myself helps me care for those around me as God desires.
• My worth is defined by God's love and not by my productivity.
• My self-care is stewardship. I will steward my body, mind, and spirit with respect and honor. This glorifies God.

Pray in petition to God to pursue His will and way.