Worldly Self-care vs. Biblical Self-care

Self-care is a hot topic in the world right now. Self-care is extremely important, but when we seek self-care of the world instead of biblically based self-care we are only getting a small taste of the true rest that we would have through Christ.

I think most of us can relate to that survival mode feeling when we face deep tragedy or hardship in our lives. We can’t control these circumstances, but we can control our thoughts, our attitudes, and our response towards them. When these situations come our way, often our health is the first thing to go. Instead of running to worldly things like blowing money on clothing, getting our nails done, food, massages, or whatever your vice may be…why not go to Biblical truth first?

Don’t get me wrong, I love a good massage, but that should be the last thing on my list. Let’s look at what Scripture says about caring for our mental, spiritual, and physical health that lasts longer than an hour-long massage.

Caring for our Mental Health through Prayer & Meditation (first off I want to preface that it’s okay to need Jesus and a therapist too)

• To care for our minds we must first renew our minds

  • We see throughout Jesus’ life that he often went away to a quiet place to be with the Father in prayer, and he encouraged his disciples to do the same. He sought solitude after being in crowds teaching.

  • The world’s definition of meditation is to empty our minds, but Scripture calls us to meditate on the word and on the works of God.

  • Psalm 145:5- “On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.”

  • These practices invite moments of reverence, clarity, peace, and adoration

  Caring for our Spiritual Health through Gratitude

1. We find ourselves complaining in the midst of our circumstances which in turn disrupts our spirit. The world tells us we are a product of our circumstances, but the word tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 to “give thanks in ALL circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus”

2. Try replacing your I have to’s with I get to...

1. I have to sit in traffic at work in the morning…I get to go to a job that the Lord has blessed me with

2. I have to get a workout in today….I get to move the body that God has blessed me with

Caring for our Physical Health because it’s the Temple of the Holy Spirit

1. The world tells us we can do whatever feels good, but Scripture tells us this in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, “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, for you were bought at a price. So glorify God in your body.

2. We are given earthly bodies that were beautifully and wonderfully made and the Holy Spirit dwells in us. We must steward this gift well.

3. If we look at the life of Jesus we see that he walked out in nature with his disciples, ate and communed with his friends, he rested in the midst of a storm. 

4. We are all blessed with able bodies, and when we take care of them with movement, good whole food that fuels us for the day, and proper rest, we build resilience and become the best version of ourselves. That allows us to respond with love, joy, peace, understanding, and energy to serve others well, just as Jesus did. 

So you may be sitting there thinking that you don’t have time to cram in prayer, meditation, scripture reading, gratitude, eating well, moving your body, and resting on top of everything else you have to accomplish during the day. But my challenge for you as we’ve walked through these different elements of biblical self-care is to just get 1% better each day. You may be familiar with this concept from the book Atomic Habits. 

If you’re not familiar with this concept then 1% may sound like nothing at all! But if you compound that each day just as you would interest, then at the end of 1 year, you will be 37% better than you started.

We have 24 in a day. 1% of your day is just 15 minutes.

• So can you pray for 15 min?

• Can you meditate on scripture for 15 min?

• Can you practice gratitude for 15 min?

• Can you move your body for 15 min?

• Can you take 15 min to prepare a good meal for yourself and your family or friends?

When you incorporate this kind of self-care, I promise that you’ll feel refreshed with true rest, not the temporary rest the world gives. Here’s a free downloadable Daily Reflections sheet that you can download to help keep you on track. I laminated mine so I can reuse it daily using an expo marker.