“On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation.” Genesis 2:2-3
I don’t have to feel Guilty for choosing Myself.
Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you worked longer or harder than you were comfortable with because you found yourself more concerned with everything and everyone else than yourself? You don’t ask for time off because your manager “needs you.” Or you stay late every shift because the relief is coming late. Or the worst (in my opinion), you stay on a job longer than you should because you don’t want to inconvenience the team. In all of these situations you are dealing with a loyalty complex, and that loyalty is to any and everyone but yourself. Why? Because somewhere along the line you told yourself it’s selfish to think about yourself and not others. Let’s get into it.
For many of us who grew up in the church, we know the scriptures that tell us to treat others the way we want to be treated, and to love our neighbors as ourselves, and those are true and real things we need to be considering in our daily lives. We should be concerned for our fellow man and we should love them and respect them the same we we love and respect ourselves. But what happens when you forget to love and respect yourself along the way? How are you loving them like you love yourself when you don’t show yourself ANY love? Sit in that for a minute. When you don’t practice the simplest form of self care which is to take a break so you can take care of yourself, you aren’t loving yourself, and therefore how can you know how to love others?
Self Care isn’t Selfish.
Self Care is not selfish. It is not selfish to take time off from work that you have earned. It is not selfish to set healthy boundaries in relationships to protect your inner peace. It is not selfish to spend time in your bible, or with loved ones, or alone to recharge your batteries. You are NOT selfish. God set the greatest example of taking a break. The bible tells us in the very beginning that “On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation.” (Genesis 2:2-3) He has shown us that when we work hard, we deserve to take a break. So take a break, with the full understand that if God can do it, so can we. We’re His children, after all.
So I encourage and affirm you that it’s not selfish to take care of yourself. And you are not selfish for not trading shifts with someone just because they want you to. You’re not selfish for needing time to recharge from raising your kids. You’re not selfish for wanting to sleep in every once in a while, or taking a vacation and turn your phone off. Walk in that truth and know that I love you, and as always, I’m rooting for you. Keep conquering daily.
EMBRACING EMOTION: THE BLOG 