Summer of Self Care: Strengthening Your Spirit

 “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect” Romans 12:1-2

It was one of those photos that hits you like a lighting rod to the heart. A friend was posting on her social media about conflicted emotions she had regarding leaving the mission field. She shared that necessary changes were coming to her life, and she was feeling desperately depleted. She shared her heart, from a place of personally feeling defeated and judged, and a need to get rest- REAL rest. Not Netflix for days rest but unplugging, soul-nourishing, life-enriching rest. To close her vented point on her post, she posted a picture of a dainty tea cup that had a few drops of water remaining in the bottom and the old adage “you can’t give what you don’t have” and then signed off for awhile. I remember sitting mesmerized by the photo and being shocked as my own revelation hit. You can’t give what you don’t have. The reality is it’s true, but simply acknowledging truth doesn’t always do a lot of good for us. Truth needs to be acknowledged, internalized, and implanted in our DNA so that its affect bears fruit in our lives. As I sat face to face with this revelation I knew something had to change in me, and lived out differently in my life. I cared about this revelation because I have faced burnout more than once in my personal and professional career, and many times didn’t make the necessary changes to adjust. Once I did, I was astounded at the results. The reality is, we all have input in our lives, but revisiting the analogy from my first post on flourishing we must tend the garden. In emphasizing the need to tend the garden of our spirit health, nourishing it, and seeing it flourish is a discipline of the most essential kind. We cannot invite others to see a blossoming garden, that is desolate. We cannot see a garden thrive without tending it, and there are many essential components to seeing said garden grow and bloom. So, as I stepped back to ask myself what is needed for anything to grow while flourishing and one thing surfaced: TIME. Time doing and cultivating the right things. There has to be time for maturity, growth and development. I want us to look at how using time in the right way will incorporate the right things into the soil of our spirits allowing healthy growth to occur. I hope these help:

Time in God’s Presence, Word & Prayer

There is no way to emphasize the paramount importance of these disciplines in our lives. They offer us a guiding light, draw us back to our true north, and the divine plumb-line to get us wonky people back in line. Steady bite, after steady bite, these disciplines hold the power to shift mindsets, world views, weed out sin, plant truth, and renew us through and through. Being in God’s presence puts him on the throne of our hearts, and us bowing in worship at his feet. Jesus didn’t come just to save us from sin, he came for us to have a restored and vibrant relationship with him. There are countless ways the Word of God can convict, encourage, and renew us but most of all, it holds the power to lead us into a deeper intimacy with the Author. If we want abundant, living water coming out of us, it has to be flowing into us first. Prayer helps us to do exactly that, it is the output of the combination of the time in God’s presence and word. He meets with us, and partners with us to bring the Kingdom into every area of life. We cannot neglect time in God’s presence, word or prayer to know God more, grow in his likeness and reflect his nature to everyone we come in contact with.

Time to reflect

As an writer, creative, wife, mom, introvert, and professional output giver- I need time to reflect. There is something irrefutably realigning in reflection and stillness. It allows lessons learned to go deeper; and an opportunity to learn and grow from mistakes and the ongoing cycle of life. Debriefing from some of life’s challenges and the opportunity to grow from mistakes are essential to moving forward in maturity. I like to journal or sit in a hammock. I have a friend who needs to process things out loud with a trusted confidant. Another woman sends herself voice memos in order to break down and comb through things she is learning. It doesn’t matter how it’s done but time to reflect on how God is working in you is essential. This also fosters the seeds of what God is doing to be pushed deeper into the soil of your heart. Time to reflect cultivates wisdom, discernment and helps us move forward.

Time to give

There’s a million different ways we have gotten the message to give. You need to sow, not just reap. Be a river, not a swamp. Better to give than to receive- are just a few. Until recently I never had it explained to me that if your input doesn’t match or exceed your output you will eventually run dry. I know, no brainer, but some of us are slower than others mmmmmmkay? The juxtaposition that must be acknowledged in this lesson is that the two run together, and ebb and flow all over each other. We need to give, serve and bless but that can’t come at the cost of your personal demise. I have erred on both sides of the fence on this one, and it has boiled down this: nourish both, while keeping a watchful eye and you’ll know which part of your garden needs upkeep. Start with one, but don’t neglect the other. The truth is you can’t give what you don’t have, but you also aren’t meant to just give, or just receive. Both rain and sunshine have to occur for a garden to properly flourish, and fruit must be picked for new life to come behind it.

So there you have it my friends, and let me close the series with the anchoring thought of where it all began: Romans 12- we offer ourselves, our WHOLE selves body, soul and spirit to God in worship to honor him, know him, and make a difference in the world. If you matter to Jesus, it’s because you matter! You are worth taking care of, period. But the responsibility for what God is calling you to do lies at your feet. It’s time for you to flourish- your body is worth it, your soul is worth it, and your spirit is worth it. If it matters to God- it matters! I am praying for you today to have a greater revelation of how much God loves and values you, so that you can take hold of that, and run into the purpose he has for your life in making his glory known in all the Earth.

Have you learned anything encouraging from this series? Were you reminded of something essential? Are you trying something new to take care of yourself? I would love to hear your thoughts- send me an email at [email protected]!

Lots of love,

Joy

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