Mark 6:31-32 (NLT) 31 Then Jesus said, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.” He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat. 32 So they left by boat for a quiet place, where they could be alone.
Ever hear the term, “self care?” I have always avoided using that term because it sounded so weak and self-absorbed. If I start talking about self-care, what’s next? A retreat center in Vermont wearing a sarong, practicing “mindfulness?” Yoga? Juicing? Will I become vegan? And there are always those people who never seem show up to help with projects but constantly need a break. I don’t want to be them!
A little girl asked me one time, “do you ever work? All I ever see you do is stand around.” She seriously worried about my apparent lack of productivity. That was thirty years ago and since that moment I determined my congregation would never be able to say I was lazy. They may say I’m disorganized and stubborn, but not lazy. However a couple of things have happened to me in the month of January that is causing me to reconsider the call to sane and balanced self-care. I’ll only deal with one thing presently. (No I don’t think I’m a workaholic, that’s an addiction issue.)
For purely spiritual reasons I recently went on a Daniel Fast. No bread, meat, sweets, soda or coffee for 21 days. I had no idea that God was going to deal with me about my natural man instead of my spiritual man. A week into this diet of nuts, greens, fruits and veggies, I started feeling like a million bucks. The invisible band across my forehead went away. I became more even-tempered & peaceful. Surprise, surprise! God integrated the physical, emotional & spiritual. Jim Rohn said, “All disciplines affect each other. Everything affects everything else.” There are some things that matter more than others, but there isn’t anything that doesn’t matter. Every let down affects the rest of your performance. Every new discipline affects the rest of your disciplines.”
Don’t worry that I am not going to become a dietary Pharisee. I believe you can go to heaven eating junk food, in fact, I believe you will get there quicker. But what are the messages Jesus is sending to us when He said to His disciples, “let’s go off by ourselves and … tend to the natural … practice some self-care.”
- Physical matters matter to God.
- Serving a great cause doesn’t change the laws of nature.
- God is calling us to honor the spiritual, physical and emotional rhythms of life.
- Leaders are responsible to know when the team needs to rest. (This includes parents of children.)
- People who won’t come apart will eventually see something important to them, come apart.
- The presence of Jesus follows us into physical & personal renewal.
- Spiritual activities should be our priority but the spiritual alone won’t keep you renewed.
To that point I want to say, “Jesus didn’t take his disciples to a prayer meeting or a Bible study.” Prayer is exhilarating but exhausting. Bible study is wonderful but wearisome. You shouldn’t put your body first or even second but neglecting it entirely is hardly right either.
Join me in asking the following questions. Am I feeling so irritable that I might actually be doing more harm than good by staying so available to others right now? What am I doing that is unnecessarily depleting me? Am I living a balanced life? What short but healthy escape might renew my energy? Am I trying to be super-human? Am I trying to be God? Am I willing to stop playing God? Who are the people I trust to tell me when to take a break? Who are the people that will hold me accountable so I don’t go out of balance in the direction of being self-indulgent?
1 Cor. 6: 19 “Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit … you are not your own.”
If the “Holy Spirit” worships God inside my body, I better practice some self-care.
