I apologize for failing to post last week; I couldn't find the proper way to post... turns out I was logged into the wrong gmail account...
"Self-care is never a selfish act -- it is simply good stewardship of the only gift I have, the gift I was put on Earth to offer others. Anytime we can listen to true self and give it the care it requires, we do so not only for ourselves, but for the many others whose lives we touch."
For years I have struggled with the acceptance of self-care. It has always struck me as a "selfish act" merely because I am not serving anyone in the process, or so I used to think. From reading these past chapters, and specifically upon reading Parker Palmer's Let Your Life Speak during the Fall, I began to realize that not only is it not a selfish act, but it is 1) a way to worship the Lord, and 2) ensure that my service to others is authentic. Unfortunately, our humanly bodies can only endure the fatigue of daily routine and life's challenges to a certain extent. I used to see self-care and quiet time as two distinctively disparate events, yet I have come to understand that my worship and the opportunity to take care of myself go hand-in-hand. I worship Him in the moment I am taking care of myself and also worship Him with the abilities I will now have to serve others with my newfound strength granted by Him through the strength He has provided me through the time I took to take care of myself (that might have been a run-on...). Upon realizing self-care, to a healthy extent, does not have to result in feelings of guilt, serving has become a joy rather than a task.
Hope you're all taking care of yourselves over there!
I've always been mentally and spiritually challenged by the title of a Brennan Manning book about Jesus. The title was A Stranger to Self Hatred. I read the book about 20 years ago and was encouraged by it, but bigger and better than the book was that amazing "self-care" title - A Stranger to Self Hatred. Thanks for this post Josh. Through your post I feel like I'm staring at the cover of the book right now, marveling at the purity, beauty, and power of living in absolute acceptance and complete tenderness.
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