Day 8
Caring for yourself is just as important as caring for others
In our prayers today, we are confessing that we are often so caught up in the work of caring for others that we mistreat our own body by neglecting to nourish it with the things it needs to be healthy and to work optimally for us and for the Kingdom.
Our affirmation is a commitment to take small steps toward taking better care of our bodies and meeting our own physical, emotional and spiritual needs.
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
My reflections:
If we understand that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, why do we mistreat it by failing to do what is necessary to be well, to the best of our ability?
After praying about the reading and exercise for today—I began to think that lack of good self-care is a result of our own inner judge…
Love, Accept and Forgive Yourself
One of the most difficult tasks for some of us is learning to love, accept and forgive ourselves over what we deem are our faults, failures and shortcomings. Often, we tend to examine these things as if under a microscope, which only serves to magnify the things we are unhappy with– in and about ourselves to an unhealthy proportion. Why is it easier to find fault than to praise ourselves?
We can never fully accept or understand others until we learn to embrace our own being and learn to love, accept and forgive ourselves. Perhaps it is time to think about this and how your own inner judge became so powerful in your life.
You do not belong to yourself…for God bought you with a high price. That is profound! When we lack forgiveness—toward ourselves, we neglect caring for the temple of the Holy Spirit. Is there an area in your life where you lack forgiveness? Do you have self-loathing? Low self-esteem? Well, here is what the bible has to say about the way we see things:
The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light. Matthew 6:22
When our perception is clear, our whole body will be full of light. Let us focus today upon taking better care of our own physical, emotional and spiritual needs– being mindful of the way we see the world and ourselves. Let us focus upon seeing others and ourselves through the eyes of God.
So you must honor God with your body.
Take some steps today to honor God with your body. Begin by writing three steps that you can begin in the next thirty days.
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Give God praise and thanks for second chances. Write him a love letter today.