“Are you tired? Worn out? …Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I will show you how to take a real rest… Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.” Jesus
(Matthew 11:28-30 The Message)
What is self care?
Self care refers to practices that help us stay physically, mentally, emotionally, relationally and spiritually healthy. Self care is the practice of attending to our basic needs. Needs such as getting adequate rest, exercising and connecting with others.
As basic as self care practices are, it can be difficult to build them into our lives. It might be that these practices were never modeled for us. It might be that we have been taught to ignore or minimize our own needs. It might be that they require a level of intentionality and persistence on our part that is not easy for us.
In addition, it is not uncommon for people to worry that the practice of self care is selfish. It might seem that setting limits on our commitments in order to have time to rest and exercise and be with loved ones is too self centered.
The truth is that self care is not selfish. It is actually a practice that is based in honesty and humility.To practice self care is to acknowledge that we are creatures with real limits and needs.
It can be helpful to realize that self care is always a gift to others in our lives. When we take care of ourselves we are better able to be present and available to others in a way that is humble and open hearted rather than from a place of exhaustion and resentment.
Self care is at its heart a spiritual practice. Not only is it a practice based in honesty and humility about our creaturely needs, it is the practice of treating ourselves as the loved and valued children of God that we are. And it is a practice that grounds us and strengthens us to treat all others as the loved and valued children of God that they are.
“Are you tired and weary?” Jesus asks. “Get away with me. I will show you how to take a real rest. Watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.”
May we respond to Jesus’ invitation as we make our way together through these challenging times.
Suggested Activities:
1. Reflect
Read Matthew 11: 28-30.
What thoughts and feelings come to you as you sit with this invitation from Jesus?
What helps you find rest and peace in the midst of fear and uncertainty?
2. Pray
Give Me Peace
Give me peace,
not a hopeless resignation,
giving into darkness,
but a growing certainty that
one day Light will dawn.
Give me peace,
not a deadening Novocain
that robs outrage,
but a quiet awareness of Presence
in the angst of the day.
Give me peace,
not a passionless state
of not-seeing, not knowing,
but a fierce, calm clarity
about what matters most.
Give me peace,
not a smugness or pretense,
but an internal sense of being held
that allows me to live as outrageously
as one who is loved might live.
from Heaven At My Door: Prayers for the Journey by Juanita Ryan @2013
