Have you heard of self-care?
Its all about meeting your needs.
There are 2 ways to meet your needs. A Godly way and a ungodly way. Guess which one bring sin into question?
You’ve been given strengths, gifting and talents which equipped you for your purpose. Meeting a need in a Godly way will help you to have healthy relationships, positive outlook on life and help you to live a life you love. If your needs are met in an ungodly way it becomes a weakness resulting in sin being introduced into your life. You become stuck, have regrets, guilt and shame. Sin which grows out of a weakness.
Weaknesses are a focus because of the trouble they bring into a person’s life.
The thought of putting my needs before anyone else’s goes against every which way I was brought up. It meant that you were selfish, self-centered and borderline unloving.
Other people’s needs. Hmmm …
Let’s see, that meant other people’s needs were more important. They were more important than me.
Was it to keep peace, to keep them happy, or to keep enabling them?
Are you to be your brother or sister’s keeper?
There is a time to say yes and there’s a definitely no BUT not at the cost of your peace.
You are a spiritual being, you possess a soul and you live in a body [1].
Each area of your soul, mind will and emotions, has needs. They will be met, (just as you need air to exist, and water for your body to function), either in a godly or ungodly way. Godly ways is operating in your strengths and ungodly way is operating in your weaknesses.
Air and water of course but also rest, nourishment, connection, safety, and purpose.
When you hold your breath what happens? Gasping right?
Take time to rest. Your body needs it to heal from your day and your mind needs some time off. It’s also a great time to hear from God. Rest is not about sleeping. It’s a time to pull back from the world to get in touch with God, to be renewed and to be energized. Think of Shabbat.
Take time to notice your breathing. Your muscles need the oxygen to keep you moving. Want to feel less tired? Take a mini-vacay by imaging your favorite place and once you’re there in your mind, start to breath in for 3 seconds and breathing out for 5 seconds. Te voilà, parti!
Take time to hydrate. Drinking enough water is more than a fad or a tough form of exercise running to the bathroom. It’s a basic need keeping you on the right path of being healthy.
Your needs constantly respond, “what about me!” There are others. Do you know them?
You have a good start here knowing your basic needs with these three examples.
It’s taking the time, well worth the effort, to be a journey to a better you.
To find out more about what your needs are click here to set up a power call.
Dieu soit avec toi,
Deborah
[1] Created in God’s Image, a course in human behavior; Richard and Phyllis Arno Ph.D, pg. 19