Do you ever feel like you’re running on fumes, just trying to get through another day, exhausted from your responsibilities?
Maybe you’re feeling desperate for a day off, a vacation, or a night at home to binge-watch Netflix and eat away the stress of life.
I’ve been there.
Worn out, overwhelmed, and in serious need of rest.
The world is big on self-care, so in an attempt to recharge from my exhaustion, I’d take a break for a coffee date with a friend, read a fiction novel, or take a day trip. The problem is, whenever I came back from whatever self-care I indulged in, I was always thrown right back into the very thing I needed a break from in the first place.
The self-care didn’t fix the problem or make it so I handled it better, it was simply a temporary escape from my life.
If you’ve tried the world’s version of self-care and found that it was really only an escape from reality, satisfying a craving, or treating yourself, only to be thrown back into whatever you needed a break from in the first place just as stressed out and overwhelmed as before, you’re not alone.
As Christians, our goal in self-care is not to escape our life, it’s to live our life better. To have joy, perseverance, and a really deeply rooted relationship with God. Finding a sustainable rhythm in your life, and having a community that surrounds you when you need it.
Things the world is not pursuing.
In this series, we’re looking at five ways we can practice self-care as a Christian.
In the last videos, we talked about Sabbath, Scripture, and Service as a means of self-care, and today, we’re talking about Community Support.
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
I’ll be the first to admit that when I am feeling like I need a little self-care, I want to go have some alone time. I want to take a bath, read a good book, and escape for an evening.
This has become especially prominent to me since becoming a mom. Being climbed on and smothered by a boogery toddler who coughs in my mouth no matter how many times I’ve taught him to cover it has a way of making you want some alone time!
I don’t think it’s a bad thing at all to have alone time. It can absolutely be refreshing and filling. It just shouldn’t be the only way we pursue self-care.
We also need time spent in community so that we are filled up by others, too.
When we need some self-care, why not allow others to step in and help care for us? Romans 12:15 tells us, “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” We are meant to celebrate together and also to mourn and hurt together.
Alone time might give you space, but community gives you support.
Being with other people who can relate to your struggles, listen to you share your feelings and experiences, help you process situations, and encourage you in truth.
Hebrews 10:24-25 says, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
It is clear from this verse that community can be hard work. Why else would some people give up meeting together? It requires you to reach out, plan something, let others in. It’s a lot easier to do life alone, but what you get out of community is so much greater than the effort it requires.
Galatians 6:2 instructs us to, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”
We aren’t meant to carry the weight of life alone. It is by God’s design that we do life together, in community with others, sharing the burdens, the celebrations, encouraging and loving other people.
If community is something you’re struggling with or that you don’t know how to find, I highly recommend Jennie Allen’s book, “Find Your People.” I recently listened to the audiobook and was so encouraged, challenged, and motivated to seek out the kind of community that we as believers are meant to have. To do life together- the good, the bad, the messy.
Self-care can be great, but sometimes, we need to let others step in and care for us, too. To open the door to our messy life and invite some people in.
Looking for more? Check out the latest blog posts below!
- How to Read the Bible and Actually Understand It
- How to Practice Self-Care as a Christian | Part Five: Gratitude
- How to Practice Self-Care as a Christian | Part Four: Community Support
- How to Practice Self-Care as a Christian | Part Three: Service
- How to Practice Self-Care as a Christian | Part Two: Scripture
