Take Care of Yourself

When your body suffers, so does your ministry.

Oh my. I’m sitting in my basement office in my pj’s and when I prayed and asked God for guidance for this post, those words came to me. I suppose God wants me to write about the elephant here in my room.

I’ve been struggling with a physical issue for a few weeks, and I haven’t been able to write a blog post because it felt draining to me. Just being honest. Writing a blog post like this, well, it’s been hard because I open up here in the hopes of helping someone out there.

Being honest about what we’re going through can be hard. Letting others see us without our game faces (or makeup!) can be so revealing, so cringe-worthy. We want to appear to be strong and sleek and on top of things. Not weak, pudgy, and falling asleep on the couch before it gets dark.

And yet when we’re not feeling our best or we’re battling something attacking our bodies, we are not able to perform at our best.

I remember when I used to run a long time ago when my knees would allow it. If I ate a bowl of mint chocolate chip ice cream the night before, my morning run suffered.

Now if I don’t exercise, I struggle with brain fog and my entire body suffers. (I suppose I’ve been in denial thinking I can eat the way I used to when I was in my twenties and NOT exercise and nothing is going to change. Hello, reality!)

So it seems, if we don’t take care of ourselves, our ministry, our service to God and others suffer.

Your ministry might be spending time with your child and showing them God’s love through nature walks, volunteering at a food pantry, working long hours to put food on the table for your family, encouraging a friend, visiting someone who can’t venture out, writing stories of faith and hope, singing of God’s glory..the list can go on and on.

So, taking care of ourselves would not be a selfish act, but a way to honor God and to love others. And to be ready.

Be ready?

That’s right. When God calls us to expand our ministry or begin a new one, we’ll be excited and full of overall tingling anticipation—not drained at the very thought of doing ONE MORE THING.

You know what I’m talking about, don’t you?

Today, I’m taking the plunge into better health so my ministry won’t suffer and I can be ready. I’ve been here before and wandered off to My Own Way Lane where chocolate chips, potato chips, and bowls of frosting abound. But God is drawing me back. (Thank You, Lord!)

So what does this involve for me? Eating better (cue my grumpy toddler face), exercising (face contorted in pain), and a doctor’s visit (using wisdom here).

What about you? Are you willing to take care of yourself so your ministry can flourish and you can be ready when God calls?

“Do you not know that your body is a temple 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 body.”

(1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NIV.)

“Be prepared in season and out of season.”

(2 Timothy 4:2b NIV.)

Take Care of Your Body

My mom yelled at me this morning while we were talking on the phone. Before you start feeling sorry for me, don’t. She was right. (See, Mom. I can admit when I’m wrong!)

Lately, I’ve been having problems with my feet. (Bear with me, I promise there’s a point in all of this.) My feet have been hurting like never before and yesterday they were bluish in color. The answer may be poor circulation, high cholesterol issues, or Raynaud’s syndrome, which would explain why I love my warm and fuzzy socks so much. (The crazy colors are just a wonderful bonus.)

But Mom reminded me that I need to take care of my feet because she had pampered them for years when I was a child; exercising them after I was born with windblown feet to set them right, rubbing lotion on them, pampering them with kisses and Band-Aids when I scraped and cut them. And I’m sure there were countless times of wiggling and tickling my little piggies simply out of love.

She insisted I need to buy a new pair of GOOD walking shoes. (Okay, so my husband has been telling me this, too.) But Mom was reprimanding me because she’d taken responsibility for my young feet, had loved and cared for them before I could. When I was toddling around and banging into things, Mom was there to comfort and care for those bumps and bruises.

And isn’t that just like God? God has been there for me, for YOU, from the very beginning. He knitted us together in our mother’s womb in a miraculous and wonderful way. He watched over us, lovingly whispered to us, and has kept us safe in ways we are oblivious to on this side of eternity.

But now that we’re older, what are we doing with those bodies He knitted together? Are we abusing them? Forbidding times of rest because our to-do list is unrolling and stretching out the door? Are we stuffing them full of garbage because we don’t have the time, we don’t make the time, to fix the healthy stuff so we grab what’s fast and easy? Or are we passing on exercise because we just don’t feel up to it? How can we when we’re surviving on imitation cheese slices and bananas? (Side note: That used to be my actual breakfast many years ago.)

Take this little post as God “yelling” at you today, my friend. Lovingly, He is yelling at you and me. (Don’t feel bad, this is the second time I’ve been yelled at today!) We need to take care of our bodies, these gifts He meticulously knitted and crafted. He planned and worked together how you and I were going to look, the feel of our skin, the radiance and the blend of colors in our eyes, the texture of our hair. And He designed our bodies to work in ways I can’t even begin to comprehend. What right do we have to take the miracle of our bodies and frown upon them, viciously abuse them, or just blatantly ignore their needs?

We don’t have the right when we realize: They are His vessels to use, too.

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.” (Psalm 139:13 NIV.)

 “Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NLT.)

“My child, don’t reject the Lord’s discipline, and don’t be upset when he corrects you. For the Lord corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.” Proverbs 3:11-12 NLT.)

 

Rest

It can be pretty tough when circumstances in life suck the energy out of you like a leech the size of a small pony while leaving your brain in a fog.

Maybe you deal with food allergies and certain foods the rest of the world seems to devour without so much as a yawn set you into a tailspin of brain fog that only gets deeper as your mind plummets out of control, landing you on the couch for one sickening nap.

Maybe it’s work related; you work awful hours.  Or maybe it’s an unrelenting illness you battle daily or because of the medication.  Or maybe, just maybe, you’re left alone to tackle your corner of the world and you run on fragments of sleep and doses of caffeine so massive even a polar bear would get the jitters.

Whatever the cause, brain fog can be like pulling a tight, wool hat down over your face and walking around in a state of half-air, half-light.  Really, half YOU.  You can’t focus, can’t see straight, can’t remember what you just did or what you need to get done, and you feel drained on the inside of your brain somewhere.  Oh, and don’t forget to strap a miniature, yet just as hefty, sumo wrestler to each of your legs so you can get the full physical effect of your exhaustion every time you take a step.

It seems I lugged my sumo wrestlers around nearly all last week.  I know they like to jump on my feet and plop right down for a ride when I don’t eat right.  But I found out they also insist on tagging along when I switch to eating healthy foods too.  I started on a journey awhile back to take better care of my body (see the post, A New Journey) and getting my body acclimated to healthy foods was like sending my brain off on a cruise to the land of la-la where the fog hovered for days and the sumo wrestlers invited their friends to join in for a piggy back ride.

But here’s a thought:  God made our brains so of course He understands brain fog.  He understands exhaustion.  He really does.  And He makes a way through the fog and the weariness to get to us.  And He also knows how to peel off those sumo boys sitting on our feet.  It’s called:  R-E-S-T.

Wait a minute, did I just write that?  Are we actually supposed to rest when we don’t feel mentally “all there” or physically drained?

You bet we are.  I’m not saying you pull the school bus over and tell the kids to walk the rest of the way to school because you need a five minute power nap.  What I am saying is go easy on yourself and find time, no MAKE time, to rest.  Ask for help.  Tell so-and-so “NO” that you can’t do this-or-that today.  And don’t you dare feel guilty, my friend.

We all need moments of rest.

Even Jesus rested.  Do you remember He was sleeping in the boat during the storm before He was awakened to calm it?  (Matthew 8:23.)

But perhaps you have a house full of tornadic toddlers and a stack of laundry up to the ceiling fan and the idea of rest is as foreign to you as a moon rock, and actually, when you think about it, you’d like to tell me a thing or two just for bringing it up.  Wait!  I’m on your side.  And more importantly, God is on your side.  So talk to Him.  Pray.  (And I’ll be praying for you too.  See, I told you I’m on your side.)

That’s right.  Pray and ask God for help.  Right there while you’re driving home on fumes (not talking about the gas either) or mashing the potatoes or scrubbing the dishes.  Go ahead and cry in the sink of dirty dishes and let God hear how tired you are, how you want your mind back, your energy back.  Guess what?  He already knows.  He would never burst into your life and try to take over, but He will come when you call and sometimes in surprising ways.  Maybe a neighbor will stop by with a slow-cooker full of sloppy joes and an offer to babysit for the afternoon.  Ah, glorious naptime.

And just so you know, slowing down or resting is not a waste of time; something to rush out the door like an unwanted guest who will only embarrass you if your friends stop by.

Do you think receiving a blessing from God is a waste of time?  Well, if you don’t take care of YOU, why would He give you another blessing you might choose to ignore?

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28 NIV.)

A New Journey

I was lying in bed the other night, thinking about something I ate earlier. I had mixed up a batch of chocolate frosting and dropped in a couple teaspoons of peanut butter and just enjoyed myself all the way to the bottom of the bowl.  The sad thing?  I’ve done this many times before only without the peanut butter.  So why was I thinking about it late into the night?  Because God wanted me to.

You see, I love going to bed and talking to God and thinking about Him until I fall asleep. I’ll think about the day, what’s coming tomorrow, and this amazing and vivid image I have of Jesus waiting for me under a tree where we can sit and talk.  One day, I think, I’ll be able to do that.  But until then, I close my eyes and talk to Him when the house is dark and still.  And that particular night, God reminded me of what I’d eaten and how drained I felt.  He also reminded me how a car’s performance depends on maintenance and the proper fuel.  I was listening.

I realized this body He has given me is really only temporary, but it’s still my responsibility to take care of it. What if God calls me to do something, to go and encourage someone, but I’m crashed out on the couch because my blood sugar plummeted?  Or what if He calls me to Africa as a missionary and I need to trek miles on foot but I’ve consumed nothing but sugar and potato chips, so I have to turn down the offer because my body can’t take that sort of thing?  (My Mom reminds me from time to time that we need to be ready when God calls us to do things.)  I want to be ready.

I don’t want to miss God’s best for me because I’m not giving my best to the vessel He’s allowing me to borrow.

I have to exhale here. I don’t have just a sweet tooth but a mouth full of them and this is going to be hard.  But when I cried out to God the other night, I asked Him to help me, to change the desire of my heart (and my taste buds), so I can be a better vessel for Him, for His Holy Spirit to work through.  And when I woke up in the morning, something had changed.  Did I jump out of bed and run to make a green smoothie?  Not hardly.  But I decided that I would begin.  I would begin this journey of taking care of something I’ve had entrusted to me for over forty years that I usually leave at the bottom of my priority list.  After this writing project is done, I’ll eat better.  After the first of the year, I’ll exercise.  After the Easter candy, I’ll stop eating chocolate.  Those promises wear me out and depress me every time I fail.

So instead, I’m looking to God for help. I’m revisiting that image of Jesus under the tree and I want to see Him smiling as He tells me, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” (Matthew 25:23).  I don’t want Him to shake His head at me and say, “If only you would have put down that bowl of frosting.  I had so much more for you.”

I’m not on a diet. I’m not starting on a new health fad.  I’m finally beginning to see the gift God has given me for what it is, and I’m going to take care of it.  I’m going to smile and laugh when I turn down the frosting.  And I’m going to reach for God’s hand when I stumble and slip back to an old habit and ask Him to help me begin again.  But I will not be defeated.  That old devil would love to keep me in a wrecked body that’s hyped up on sugar and empty calories, keeping me trapped in my own little prison cell of disliking the way I look and the way I feel.  But he’s too late.  God and I have already started out on this journey and that prison cell is already corroding in our shadows.

Now, on to better health and God’s purpose for my life.

And I’m praying the same for you.  Let’s be healthy and strong together to build up His kingdom.

“Do you not know that your body is a temple 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 body.” (1Corinthians 6:19-20 NIV.)