This was the parting comment that my dear Dad said to me on the phone the other day,
“Look after yourself, love!”
So I thought we would reflect upon this most important of topics today, Self Care.
Something God has been reminding me to do of late!
Why? That’s what we’ll discuss over our cuppa’s dear friend.
So grab your mug, a treat & get comfy.
I thought I would have a Springtime tea today as it’s a beautiful Spring day here on the East coast of Australia, although still a little chilly.
Berry Delicious is the herbal tisane I’m sipping with a slice of home baked Apple, coconut & almond bread as a treat, delicious!
Let’s begin…you may ask the following question;
Isn’t self care just being selfish Jennifer?
Unfortunately, this is a miss held belief in many parts of the world.
Especially amongst women.
And past practices have not helped to dispel this belief over the centuries.
A prime example can be seen last century, where the belief & practice among many dedicated missionaries was ‘to burn out for Jesus’!
I know this sounds strange but it was so!
The thinking was that they would work so hard in sacrificing themselves & their lives to spread the Gospel, that they would literally burn out physically, mentally & emotionally.
While this may sound a noble & honourable thing in giving their all for God’s Kingdom.
Is it actually what God wants us to do?
Jesus said to shine our light, His light;
“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good deeds and moral excellence, and [recognize and honor and] glorify your Father who is in heaven.”
Matthew 5:16 amp
So burning out is not what God wants us to do, He wants us to keep on shining for Him. As,
a burnt out candle has no light to shine!
But what about the following scripture?
“Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”
Romans 12:1-2 NASB
We are also told in Scripture that when we accept Christ into our lives we become the Temple of the Holy Spirit.
“…do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?”
1Corinthians 16:9 NASB
Thus, if our body is a Temple of the Holy Spirit & we are called to be living sacrifices, how do we care for our body, mind & spirit?
We don’t have to look far, as we have a great example in Jesus’ life while He walked the Earth.
He looked after Himself in many ways & how I put these into practice are shared in the following posts, which you can enter by tapping on the coloured texts below;
- He would Pause & Reflect
- Where He found Rest & Release
- And He also knew it was important to Restore
- Before becoming Overwhelmingly, overwhelmed!
This my friend is how we need to take care of ourselves.
Let me make this personal…
You see I was one of those who came to the Lord in that time of ‘burn out for Jesus!’
And having that type A personality, I unfortunately did!
During that time of burn out I wasn’t good to anyone or for anything as I was physically, mentally & emotionally spent!
And although I have learnt valuable lessons from that time.
I have a tendency to fall back into default mode with Self care & not put it as one of the priorities in my life.
Thus, the Holy Spirit’s reminders lately, especially through the love & concern of my dear Dad!
How do you look after yourself my friend?
I would love to know, please share in the comments below.
Until next time,
Jennifer
You’re most welcome to join me in The Reading Nook
Or
In Prayer
© 2022 Jennifer M. Ross, teawithjennifer.blog All Rights Reserved. Photo by Matej Novosad on Pexels.com
I am in the season of life that I love, but sometimes I feel overwhelmed. I have to consciously plan time to rest in the Lord. Thank you for the timely reminder, sweet friend.
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You’re most welcome Pam! We can get focused upon other things & literally forget our limitations until the overwhelm hits us.
Planning time out & rest is so important… Blessings sweet friend 😊
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Thank you for your great thoughts on self-care Jennifer, and encouraging us to take time to nurture our own well-being!
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You’re welcome Donna! Lovely having you drop by sweet friend 😊
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Last night I texted, ‘Be kind to yourself, sweetie’ to my 16 year old granddaughter. Thanks for this nudge for wise godly, healthy living, Jennifer. I want to model it for the next generations even as I benefit from these choices myself.
Bless you this weekend, girl!
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Thank you & I love that you sent that message to your granddaughter too, Linda!
Bless you! 😊
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Jennifer, I do self-care through gardening in the morning, walking the dog in the morning, reading before bedtime, and sometimes I get a wonderful lingering hot bath.
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That all sounds delightful Lisa 😊
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Great advice, Jennifer. Jesus did say to love each other as we love ourselves, so we need to make sure we take care of ourselves too! 🙂
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That He did Lisa & that we definitely need to do! 😊
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Love the insight into self-sacrifice versus taking care of this vessel.
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Thank you Claudia 😊 lovely having drop by today!
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So loving!
I went to physical therapy today to receive instructions for this very thing!
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I so glad Michele ☺️
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This hits a bit close to home, Jennifer. Perhaps not exactly as the same slant you have here, I was taught that the more self-sacrifice, the closer you got to God the way he wanted you. Turn the cheek as many times as required was the goal no matter what. I now see how distorted that was but it took me many years to see it. Thank you for bringing this to our attention.
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Yes, sadly there are many misconceptions in the Christian world that don’t align with scripture nor Jesus’ life & example. I’m glad the truth has been revealed to you. Bless you dear friend 😊
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Joining you for a cuppa. It’s a nice fall day here in Western Pennsylvania, USA. There’s a chill in the air and some light rain.
This was such a treasure to read today. You know not so many decades ago I believe self care was stigmatized as being selfish or lazy. Especially for women.
I used to be one of those women who burned out big time. Then fibromyalgia happened and now it’s a whole new ball game.
I love how God tells us over again in Scripture that we should take care of ourselves.
If we don’t we won’t be any good to serve him.
Visiting today from Let’s Have Coffee #14
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Oh Paula, I hear exactly what your saying. Thank you sister for sharing your experience with us today.
And I loved that we had a cuppa together, you in Autumn & me in Spring at the same time! 😊
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I needed to read this today! THANK YOU.
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You’re most welcome Amy! Lovely having you drop by today ☺️
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I love this, Jennifer. God created a day of rest for us because we need it. So often, we deny our needs thinking we aren’t doing enough for Him or for others. Thank you for this encouragement and for linking up at Grace and Truth!
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Thank you Tammy ☺️ So lovely having you join me today 💖
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I can’t thank the Lord enough for finding your post today! My sweet friend has been signing each of her emails to me lately, “Take care of you, my friend.” It is something I never do. And health issues are the result. I appreciate the thoughts you brought out and thank you for minding the precious Holy Spirit’s nudge to share them. May the Lord richly bless you today, Jennifer.
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I’m blessed that you have been blessed here Cheryl. Isn’t it wonderful when God speaks to us through another’s experience ☺️
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Thank you for the beautiful reminder. I’m so glad you mentioned it in your comment.
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You’re most welcome Maree ☺️
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Self-Care! You’re speaking my language, Jennifer! It’s so difficult to understand we need to take care of ourselves–especially if we’ve ever been in a caregiver role. I love the point you make about burnt-out candles having no light to offer.
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Thank you Anita! 😊
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