CARING FOR MYSELF
In this age of instant information we can find numerous books, podcasts, and movements that promise to make you a better you. Self help information is everywhere. Improve your health, your looks, your body, your sleep, your attitude, your effectiveness, your money earning abilities, your sanity, your confidence, and the topics are unending! Also there are many many products on the market that promise to improve you as well. Smooth the skin, loose the fat, give you energy, clear the mind, etc. I shudder to think of all the money I have spent on such products over the years.
You can get lost in the endless suggestions on how to care for yourself. The interesting thing about this is that the information can be so contradictory. You can get confused while wading through all the "how tos" that are out there. I can tell you of all the things I have tried. There was the vegetarian stage, the vegan stage, the juicing stage, the bread making stage, the keto stage, the intermittent fasting stage and it is enough to make your head spin.
The truth is that we do need to care for ourselves. As moms we can get lost in the giving that sometimes we neglect taking care of ourselves. And let's face it, with little ones at home, who can find the time to even go to the bathroom?But finding a way to nourish your own life is crucial to being a happy, confident, effective mom.
Mark 12:30 "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength"
In Mark 12:30 we are given instructions to love the Lord with four areas of our lives. Our heart, our soul, our mind, and our strength. I want to suggest that these are four important areas to care for. Perhaps this can be a focus of self care.
1.) It is important to care for your heart.
Prov. 4:23 "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it"
Psalm 119: 10-11 "With all my heart I have sought You; do not let me wander from Your commandments. Your word I have treasured in my heart that I may not sin against You."
Matt. 5:8 "Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God."
CLEANSE CONSISTANCY COMMITMENT
First, we need to evaluate what we love. Where are our affections? Asking ourselves if there is anything in our hearts that is destructive can help us clean our hearts. David prayed that the Lord would create in him a clean heart after he had sinned against God.
Secondly, evaluate if our actions are consistently in line with what we say we love. We can say all sorts of things but our actions speak louder than our words. I always say that we do what we want to do.
Thirdly, are we making a commitment to treasuring God's word in our hearts?
In what ways have you been purposeful in caring for your heart?
2.) It is important to care for your soul.
Psalm 19:7 "The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul,"
Psalm 130:5 "I wait for the Lord, my soul does wait, and in His word do I hope."
Psalm 103:1 "Bless the Lord O my soul, and all that is within me bless his holy name."
The soul refers to the inner most being. It is the real you. Your desires, your passions, your emotions, and your appetites. By human nature we are selfish and often want to satisfy the desires of our inner self. First Peter talks about our faith in Christ and that the result of our faith in Him is the salvation of our souls. He also talks about purifying our souls by our obedience to the truth. It is a constant battle within our souls between righteousness and our sin nature.
Paul speaks of this battle in Romans 7. The things that I want to so I don't and the things I don't want to do I do. And he asks who can save me from the body of death? Paul concludes by saying, "thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!" He is the only one who can!
CLEANSE CONSISTENCY COMMITMENT
In what ways do you care for your soul?
3.) It is important to care for your mind
Romans 12:2. "Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is that which is good and acceptable and perfect."
Col. 3:2 "Set your mind on things above, not on things of this earth."
Phil. 4:8. "Finally whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything is worthy of praise, think on these things."
1 Peter 1:13 "Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ."
Your mind is your thought and reasoning and your disposition. Critical thinking is critical to loving God and others but it can also be an instrument of self destruction when operating without God's light and power.
CLEANSE CONSISTENCY COMMITMENT
How are you caring for your mind?
4.) It is important to care for your strength
Eph. 6:10 "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might."
Heb. 12:12-13. "Therefore strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble, and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed."
Being a Christian is not for the faint hearted. To truly commit to being a follower of Christ takes strength. His ways are so opposite of the world's ways and the battle for our hearts and minds is fierce. The Lord promises that His strength will be with us and in our weakness He makes us strong. It takes effort to live in obedience to Christ. Certainly the rewards are many but the sacrifices are many also. Strength comes from the Holy Spirit within us but also from each other.
CLEANSE CONSISTENCY COMMITMENT
In what ways are you caring for your strength?
In all these areas we need to consider the spiritual aspects but also the physical aspects of caring for ourselves. In what ways do you care for your physical self? Neglecting your physical health can be so harmful to us as moms. We need to be in the best shape possible to have the energy to care for our families.