Self Care: God Loves All of You
Self-care has become a pretty overused term in our society and like many overused terms like “manifesting” and “vibes” it has the tendency to become misused and misunderstood. As it is tossed around in the waves of culture and society the true meaning and value of the word get washed out. The sad part is that the concept behind that phrase gets washed out too. We can break down the phrase self-care into 2 parts:
Self: a person's essential being that distinguishes them from others, especially considered as the object of introspection or reflexive action.
Care: the provision of what is necessary for the health, welfare, maintenance, and protection of someone or something. (look after and provide for the needs of.)
When we examine these words we see that not only is self-care critical, it is biblical. We also know that it is important to take care of our wellbeing so we don’t burn out but I believe that getting a Godly perspective on what that looks like for you changes the way you care for yourself. I’ve developed a bit of a theology of self-care and I truly believe that self-care is serious because it is a Godly mandate. God has made us in his image and imbued us with dignity, worth, and value. (Genesis 1:27). We are precious to him, what happens to us matters to him (Psalm 139) We were designed to give him glory, therefore, we can honor him by loving ourselves the way he loves. The “self” that God has given us is a gift. It is for us to enjoy, but we must also steward over it well. Part of the process is self-care. If you are so valuable that God sent his only son for you to die on the cross in order to save your life then surely he wants you to care for the life he saved.
God has called us to be good stewards over the self that he has given us. By taking care of ourselves, we not only give God glory, but we also ensure that we are mentally, physically, and emotionally ready to handle God’s calling upon our lives. We have multiple parts but we are one being. God doesn’t just care about our spirit, he cares about all of us so we must follow his lead and care for ourselves as well
Romans 12:1-2 says
“And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
Here you see the 3 different dimensions of self-care- Spirit Soul and Body. The word of God says we should give our body’s to God. In order to be an acceptable living sacrifice, we have to be alive, whole, and healthy. It says that we should allow God to transform us by changing our minds. God cares about our thoughts so we have to actively invest in our mental health. Finally, it mentions learning to know God’s perfect will for our lives. Being in tune with the will of God for your life, tapping into who he’s called you to be will require spiritual connection and wellbeing
The Body is our physical selves, the Soul is our mind, will, and emotion and the spirit is the core of our being that communicates with God’s spirit. These areas all work in conjunction by God’s grace to develop us into the kind of people he’s calling us to be. If one of these areas is suffering then it impacts all the other areas. Therefore, we need to make self-care a priority by tending to ALL the parts of ourselves, not just the parts that people can see and like on Instagram. The key thing is to recognize that we can’t care for ourselves by ourselves. We need to rest in the care that God gives us but we also need to realize that he’s equipped us with the wisdom and resources to take care of the life He’s given us. So make self-care a priority, treat it like your life depends on it...because it does.
Meditating on that good word (SPIRIT)
When you hear “meditate”, you might think about clearing your mind of everything but Christian meditation is actually different. Meditating on God involves filling your mind with scripture. It is the process of quieting your thoughts in order to focus your mind will and emotion on the Truth of God’s word. I use the abide app for guided Christian meditation. It costs $$ but in my opinion, it’s worth the investment because meditation can be a bit complicated. It is not only reading the bible but allowing the holy spirit to deposit that word deep in your heart.
Pastor Rick Warren says
“Surprisingly, if you know how to worry you know how to meditate on the word of God. Worry is when you take a negative thought and think about it over and over. When you take a passage of scripture and think on it over and over that’s called mediation.”
Meditating on the word of God is so important because we are constantly being bombarded by the lies of the world. We need to renew our spirits with truth so we will not be deceived. You might be meditating and you don’t even know it? Do you journal? Do you study the word of God deeply? Do you think long and hard about scripture? If the answer is yes then you know how you meditate, you just have to do it intentionally and consistently as a part of your spiritual self-care. It is not praying, it is not worshiping, it is meditating and the bible calls us to do it daily.
Joshua 1:8 Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.
Affirm yourself in the Lord! (SOUL)
Affirmations are positive reminders or statements that can be used to encourage and motivate yourself or others. Saying positive things to yourself is great but most of the ones we hear often are a bit too self-centered and dishonest for me. Using affirmations to try and “manifest” a future you aren’t working towards or convince yourself of something that you know isn’t true simply doesn’t work saying “I am financially abundant” or “I attract people who love me when you aren’t and you don’t is just silly. I think there is a space to remind yourself about your best qualities and hyping yourself for sure. Yes, I need to love myself but if my self-love doesn’t come from God then it can’t sustain me. I am an imperfect person so when the bible says my heart is desperately wicked, it’s just stating the obvious. However, I’ve been given dignity, value, and worth by a perfect God so why wouldn’t I look to what he says about me to motivate me. Affirmations should be kind and empowering but we forget that in order to work they must also be true! So re-work your affirmations to be based on who you are in Christ not who you think you are on your own. By doing so you will renew your mind in beautiful ways. Oftentimes the difference between people who have joy and those who don’t is not circumstance, it’s perspective. Repeating the truth of God over your life will help you set your mind on things above and really care for your mental health in a transformative way.
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
Philippians 4:8
Here are some Godly Affirmations that I love to use
“ I am enough only because Jesus is enough in me.”
Ephesians 3:20
“I am worthy and have great value because of the price Jesus paid for me.”
Psalm 136:23
“My Father is the best Advocate for my dreams and goals.”
John 14:16-17
“I can still love and care for others even when I am tired because He is my constant Source.”
Philippians 2:1-10
“I believe in the unchanging character of Jesus in me.”
Galatians 2:20
3.. Get your body moving! (BODY)
Whether it is an intense exercise, taking a walk, or just dancing to your favorite song in your room, regular movement is so good for your body and your mind. Your physical health affects your mental health which impacts your spiritual health so get up and go! I used to think I didn’t even have to exercise because I wasn’t trying to lose weight. But part of being a good steward over the body that God gave me is making sure it is strong and healthy enough to carry out whatever assignment God has called me to do. You don’t have to do the most but being active helps you remain disciplined, release stress, and enjoy the body God gave you. God cares about all of you and all of you was designed to give him glory so try to find an activity that you actually enjoy and get moving! My favorite way to practice this is by doing Yoga. some Christians have negative opinions about Yoga because of its origins, but you don’t have to practice engaging in any false spiritual practices to get the physical benefits of yoga. I actually do yoga while listening to worship music or a bible meditation. I'm very intentional about making sure that my Yoga time gets me in tune with my body in a way that is centered on God
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”
I must note that there are so many faith-inspired ways to practice self-care: journaling, worship, fellowship with the community, investing in your gifts, even organizing your space but I wanted to keep this simple. I like face masks and bubble baths as much as the next girl. You can regularly catch me unwinding in with a plate of my favorite food and a spicy Netflix show. There’s absolutely nothing with that. But, don’t let the way society has trivialized self-care stop you from seeing the value in it. God only gives you oneself, so rest in his love for you and treat yourself like the priceless gift you are.
Self Care Resources
Abide meditation app: https://abide.co/
Beginner yoga instruction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cvC3l-OKLo
The Light Point Podcast: https://womanevolvedranitaphillips.libsyn.com/i-am-my-brothers-keeper