I recently had the opportunity to chat with Christine Hebert about the morality of health and Biblical self-care as a guest on the Eating With Grace Podcast. We dove deep into this tricky topic and discussed how caring for ourselves is essential to the Christian life as it allows us to better care for others. In this post, I’ve written a brief overview of the podcast. However, you’ll want to listen HERE for the full conversation and some tips for keeping up self-care during stressful seasons.
The Goal of Biblical Self-Care
As Christians, we should be approaching self-care by asking the Holy Spirit to show us what we personally can do to take better care of ourselves in order to be most able to care for others? Often God’s answer to a prayer is showing us what we need to do and strengthening us to follow through with His instruction. When our self-care practices are developed with guidance from the Holy Spirit we make our commitment to them in Jesus name, on His terms, for His glory and relying on His strength. The result of this self-care is a cup full of joy and love that is ready to be humbly and intentionally poured out for others. Jesus knew that He had to be filled up from the Father to pour out to others. The Bible describes multiple times when He went out alone to pray (Mark 1:35, Psalm 5:3, Luke 6:12-13).
Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Mark 1:35 (NIV)
Being Fit to Serve
Being able to pour love into others is the goal of Biblical Self-care. Pouring love into others or serving Christ looks different for everyone. When we hear the phrase “fit to serve” we get a picture in our minds of someone in great physical health, but that is not what being “fit to serve” looks like for everyone. Our spiritual and mental health is just as crucial (I’d argue even more crucial) as our physical health in serving the Lord. Just like our self-care practices, it’s important that we sit down with the Holy Spirit and ask Him to show us how He wants us to serve. Ask Him to show you what specific talents and gifts He gave you. Discover your personality type, your spiritual gifts, and your passions. Ask Him to show you how He wants to use those things to carry out His Work. Serving Him looks differently for everyone.
Biblical Self Care is NOT a Way to Earn Our Worth
Don’t turn your self-care into a religion. It’s key to remember that we don’t find worth in our health, or in anything we do or don’t do. Our worth comes from what Jesus did on the cross. Through him we are made right, we are chosen, justified, redeemed, and complete. We are new creations, citizens of heaven, seated with Jesus in the heavenly realm. We are not deemed right or wrong, good or bad based on what we do. But there is right and wrong, good and bad behavior.
What Christ did for us frees us from the law, but when we accept Jesus as our savior and the Holy Spirit comes to live in us He transforms us by the renewing of our minds and our will becomes more aligned with His will. The desire grows in our hearts to do what is right. Taking steps to preserve our health (spiritual, mental, physical) is a part of being a faithful servant because it makes us available and able to serve Him.
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do. Ephesians 2:10
Caring for ourselves is essential to the Christian life because it allows us to better care for others. Biblical self-care is not a practice that makes a good or bad people, or any more or less worthy. Rather, it is a practice that, when led by the Holy Spirit, fills our cups and equips us to live out the specific purpose God has for us in this life.
If your struggle with food and body image is keeping you from living our your purpose and you’re ready to step away from the worldly idea of self-care and step into Biblical self-care join my 5-day Food Freedom Challenge!
