Do You Prioritize Self-Care?

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” (Mark 12:30 NIV)

This is the greatest commandment Jesus gave his followers. We are to love the Lord with every fiber of our beings. Heart. Soul. Mind. Strength. What happens, though, when we are crushed and depleted? Are we able to live out the greatest commandment when we are running on empty?

Women are prone to meeting others’ needs first and putting themselves last. However, in doing so, are we hindering our ability to live out the greatest commandment fully? If we are exhausting ourselves with things of this world, are we able to give God our all? To give our all, we need to prioritize self-care for the sake of the greatest commandment.

Heart Self-Care

How to we take care of our hearts? The Bible gives us a few instructions on this. In Proverbs, we are instructed to guard our hearts because they are the wellspring of life. The footnote in my Bible tells me that if I store good things in my heart, my words and actions will be good. What are you storing up in your heart?

In Colossians 3, we are told to set our hearts on things above, where Christ is seated. What are you setting your heart on?

And in the Book of John, we are told more than once not to let our hearts be troubled. That we are to trust in God and not be afraid. Is your heart troubled? Can you hand those worries over to God?

How has your heart self-care been recently? Personally, I know I have felt troubled over a multitude of issues. I would never say I am not trusting God, but the way I am allowing my heart to be troubled speaks differently. I need to trust God entirely and set my heart on things above. When we are troubled, we are not able to love God with all our hearts. Cast your burdens on the Lord, go to him in prayer, and store up good things in your heart.

Soul Self-Care

“Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him.” (Psalm 62:5 NIV)

Our souls need rest, plain and simple. Have you ever been in a dry season, spiritually? We need to find rest in God. His Word tells us that he will refresh our souls. I don’t know what you are dealing with right now, but you are not alone. Find rest in the living God and allow him to refresh you. When we are refreshed, we can love God with all our souls!

One of the ways I find rest in God is using YouVersion to read Scripture, allowing it to fill my soul.

Mind Self-Care

“Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires, but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.” (Romans 8:5-6 NIV)

What are we allowing to govern our minds? In this day and age, we are living daily with information overload. We are bombarded with everyone’s opinions and beliefs on every topic under the sun. Are we allowing the world to influence our minds? Later in Romans, we are told to renew our minds. Are you setting your mind on what the Spirit desires?

Perhaps it’s time for some mind renewal. One of the best ways I have found to renew my mind is to turn off the TV, silence the phone, close the computer, and open the Word of God.

Strength Self-Care

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.” (Romans 12:1 NIV)

I’m going to be real with you all. I love worshipping. Worshipping is one of the ways I connect with God.  I love singing and raising my hands to worship. But y’all, I can only get through about two verses before my arms are screaming, “Put us down!” Tell me I’m not alone.

While I don’t believe strength in this text means physical strength, I do think it means we should worship God with our whole bodies, and with everything else we have to offer. And if we are not prioritizing self-care in the first three areas (heart, soul, mind), then we will not have the strength to give God our all physically.

I don’t know about you, but I want to be able to give God my all!

Dear heavenly Father, I want to give you my all! Lord, help me to store up good things in my heart, and when my heart is troubled, help me to cast those on to you. Help me to prioritize rest for my soul and to allow my mind to be renewed. Lord, I want to live out the greatest commandment the best I can with all I can. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Scripture for Reflection

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27 NIV)

“Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him.” (Ps. 62:1 NIV)

“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, ²⁰ for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” (1 Cor. 6: 19-20 NIV)

Reach for More

What area of self-care do you need to prioritize most? Heart, Soul, Mind, or Strength? If you feel like you need to work on all of them, don’t panic. Pick the one that you think needs to be cultivated most, and start there. Continue working your way through the others. Next up: love your neighbor as yourself.

Heather Gerwing is living the full life with her husband, Jeff, four kids, and a dog in Metro Detroit. Heather enjoys reading, writing, coffee-ing, and serving in youth ministry. She was born a Jersey girl and feels most at home on a beach. She is the host of the monthly link-up, Share Four Somethings. You can join Heather on the journey to living the full life at www.heathergerwing.com.

Photograph © Carolyn V, used with permission