Would Jesus Prioritize Self-Care?
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We hear a lot these days about the importance of self-care — taking time to get enough sleep, eat well, tend to our own individual needs, and take a moment to breathe and reset. But as Christians, we’re taught that we should model Jesus, and we know Jesus lived a life defined by sacrifice.
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The Bible talks about the importance of self-care both in the Old Testament and the New Testament.
In the desert, Moses’s father-in-law, Jethro, saw Moses was getting overburdened quickly by all the rulings and cases and, perhaps, sensed his coming exhaustion. So Jethro urged Moses to delegate responsibility, appointing a number of trusted helpers to assist him in settling simple cases fairly.
“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:
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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