Would Jesus Prioritize Self-Care?
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“You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out,” Jethro said in Exodus 18:18-19. “The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone. Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people’s representative before God and bring their disputes to him.”
In another example, the prophet Daniel was a man of great faith in God serving under a king in Babylon. When the king passed a law sentencing anyone praying to a deity other than him to be thrown into a lion’s den, Daniel didn’t stop his practice of adoration and worship. He was true both to himself and to God, and he continued praying, even though it got him arrested (Daniel 6:10-12).
And in 1 Kings 19:4-8, the prophet Elijah ran for his life into the wilderness to escape queen Jezebel, but though he had God’s blessing, he still made time to stop and renew his body and soul through proper sleep and food.
Likewise, in the New Testament, Jesus tells people to seek refuge in Him. “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light,” He tells them, in Matthew 11:29-30.
And the apostle Paul emphasizes the importance of feeding and caring for the body in Ephesians 5:29.
Many other Scriptures highlight self-care, not only the above, but these also, which remind us we are God’s special people, created in His image and much beloved:
Genesis 1:26, “Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.’”
Isaiah 41:10, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Isaiah 64:8, “Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.”
Ephesians 2:10, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
1 Corinthians 3:16, “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?”
1 Corinthians 6:19-20, “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.”
How about you — do you have other examples of the Bible emphasizing self-care? How can you put those into practice today?
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