Self-Care Tip #247 – Find the relationship God has in your self-care. Be a friend to yourself.
Many of us are still getting bothered by the concept of “everything starts and ends with Me” from a Judeo-Christian perspective. The largeness of the Me is bothersome and takes up too much space. It seems to say that Me is bigger than God, Me is the Alpha and Omega and not God and that in the lap that starts at Me and comes back around to Me – God could be in that loop or not. It seems to say that Me gets the “glory” and not God. I agree. This all does sound ugly put this way don’t you think? And because I am a Judeo-Christian from the Western religions (although loosely at times when religion gets thick and boring), and because I love God, I don’t feel good implying that life is grand without Him. Ugh. Life is without Love from this perspective. Not grand. Ever.
Some of us feel better saying there is self-care, and then there is spiritual-care. They are different because spiritual care is coming to Awesomeness so greater than Me that all of Me worships and humbles myself to Him. Something like that.
From my perspective, I am really ok with saying self-care includes God or saying label them separate from each other – as long as they both come together. I am wondering what your thoughts are.
I know we have discussed this a couple of times before and if you want to reference some of those blog-posts, please see: Self-Care is Not unChristian, Set Your Self-Care Free, Emotions Don’t Have Intrinsic Moral Quality.
Questions: How does your spirituality, view of your Higher Power, and your religion intersect with your take on self-care? How do these views influence your action in self-care? Please tell me your story.
Related articles
- No More Comfortable Christianity (daughterbydesign.wordpress.com)
- Should African Americans Follow Western Religions? (sacrificeofleadership.wordpress.com)
I personally see it this way: There is a motive behind everything we do. Self care may be motivated by a desire to serve God and others. Nurturing ourselves is not right or wrong in itself. If we love God for who He is and worship Him, self care will be motivated by a desire to care for the body and mind given us to serve God, others, and ourselves. I think self care is like anything else. It may be used well or it may be abused, distorted, into something that will in the long run not help us. For those that believe in God, I think self care will be God-directed and will make us able to serve our families better. Blessings to you, Sana…
“Nurturing ourselves is not right or wrong in itself.”
so good, had to say it again.
Ditto. The smile says “It will all be OK”
I agree! Great picture!
u guys. thank u.
I am BA/MA Religion and history. But was never
much of a church goer after I turned 18. With all my studies, however, I never had much spirituality. I don’t think Western people are very good at it or have a natural affinity because our 21st Century God is the clock of the industro/tech world. Ya gotta be from India or something. The 12 -Step program taught me how to connect with God in a spiritual way that religion did not. The 12 -Step program taught me that it takes a conscious effort to remain plugged and there exist routines that each of us must develop to create, enrich, and maintain spirituality. Part of the ministry of Jesus is healing. Healing will come merely by allowing Jesus to fortify us and his availability is not conditional in any way. You don’t have to fill out forms or have money or insurance either. It’s free.
“it takes a conscious effort to remain plugged”
resounding self-care AMEN
God has always been the One I turned to. Even when I was too young to fully understand He protected my dolls and my grandmother. The most terrifying time in my life was when I was so depressed that I couldn’t connect with Him. He has always been so much a part of my life that He just naturally fits into my self care thinking and work. I can’t separate them. I am who I because He is who He is to me, and I am becoming who I am becoming because He is part of everything I do in self care. It begins with me, yes, but it has, and always will, begin, first, with Him. (I didn’t capitalize “me”. Maybe that’s significant?)
the inherent quality of your self-care by definition is spiritual care i see. thank u nancy
I guess that’s true but spiritual care alone was not enough when I was sick and healing. Until I came to understand self -care my healing was incomplete. I think what I was trying to get across was that my relationship with God is so much a part of my life that when I began working on self-care (as defined by this blog), I didn’t need to think about God in deciding how to care for myself. Like breathing, God is part of what I do so, unless He is the subject matter for the day in my self-care work, He is a natural part of my life just like breathing is. I couldn’t live without either.
Nancy, if this blog never got any comments but this one after 9 some months, this would have been worth it.
I know from all I have been taught and all I believe that God is in control and that I need to give my whole self over to him but in reality that is not easy to do. I have been through so much in the last 5 years of pain from too many surgeries and not good outcomes that it is so hard for me to believe that another surgery is going to come out good and I will be in better health. I am so frightened that I am going to be this way the rest of my life and the thought of that sends me into a tailspin downward. I cry out to God for his help and guidence and I have not been given the peace I long for. So I keep praying and hoping and trying to trust that all things will work together for good for those who love God.
in these cases, we stand beside u becky, to share your journey if u choose us. keep on.
Interesting to note that on the eve of the Crucifixion Christ tended to the man whose ear was cut off.
Always the Healer.
I’ve seen how Religion can hamper self-care when the man-made concepts pertaining to religion, stemming from perception guilt and assumption comes between healing and staying in a state of limbo where the “illness” could be seen as a “worthy cross to bear”.
remaining “ill” gives some patients a “purpose”. Often this is based upon a religious perspective.
Sad but true?
I think many agree w this thys. i especially enjoy agreeing w the healing nature of God. nice! thanks so much thys
After sufferring so much tragedy and so much abuse in the name of God, I wanted nothing to do with him. I have now realized, after all that I have been through, and I am still here, that I have a purpose. I may never know what that is, but knowing that I should have been dead many times over, and I’m not, speaks of divine intervention. I have come to realize that I don’t have to go to church to have a relationship with God. Relationship, and not religion, is the key to my existance. With God as the center of my life, I am invincible. There is nothing that will happen on any day that God and I can’t handle.
thank u for sharing that w us kaily. u r saying it like it is.
Truthfully, my healing did not really begin until I gave it all up and said ok God my way isn’t working so here I am ready to do it Your way. Was not an easy transition for me–I am more than a bit stubborn. Now I wonder at the life I have. It’s far from perfect but I am content and rejoice in each day.
Sometimes it’s a bit of a stretch to rejoice but when I remember life BC I am thankful for life now with Him and that helps to get to the rejoicing.
u r really blessed patricia to know this so clearly. this simple truth that God is the reason u r here. many of us can say that but it doesn’t hit our senses. thank u for sharing. keep on.
While God is most certainly the healer, I think there is much self care that can be seperate from God. Some choose to include God in every aspect of their lives and some do not…I don’t think either is right or wrong. We each worship, heal, and sustain differently.
thank u suzicate. +++
god helps them who help them selves i was allways taught that and i think he does play a part becuase when i do things really wrong i ask for his forgiveness and i live i think sometimes thinking that god is there keeps me alive and the thought that even if i do die ill still not be by myself heres the weird thing we fight probably all are life so we are not by our selves ad we fear the unknown but yet we destuc ourselves we must like the idear of going down stairs all i can say is i have but tried
awesome self-disclosure kevin. we can all relate. i celebrate w u that forgiveness and goodness r not about us. keep on.