Don’t you think taking care of ourselves to lose weight, feel better, improve health, and reduce stress can be stressful? Our bodies are not maintenance-free. But why does it take so much work to keep them going?
No wonder no one can keep any New Year’s resolutions!
Most of us view our upkeep as a chore.
I know I did!
But then I did something different. I want you to do something different, too, because it works.
Today, I’m sharing 3 ways to use your faith in self-care. You can use your faith to reduce stress and improve and strengthen your self-care.
All of this makes taking care of yourself easier.
Exhausted and Overwhelmed?
This Self-care Starter Guide will show you 3 simple steps to take RIGHT NOW to better care for yourself.
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How Applying Faith in Self-care Goals Avoids Stress
Have you ever noticed how we tend to favor quick, convenient, inexpensive, tasty, and FUN self-care options? Have you ever wondered why we do that?
If we’re honest, our choices are driven by our overcommitted schedules, misaligned priorities, and personal desires. But something interesting happens after we’re on this path for a while.
We often feel the need to look for more sophisticated solutions to help us change our lifestyles. Things get more complicated and, sometimes, more expensive.
When things get more complex, we can get overwhelmed and lured into more labyrinths of better self-care and self-improvement. This can lead to even more stress, negative thoughts about ourselves, and emotional distractions.
What a trap!
I know because I’ve been there!
The options I listed above may seem like the path of least resistance, but they lead us farther from our faith. This might not seem important, but it matters.
Typically, Christians do not intentionally include their faith when making self-care goals. However, worldly or cultural distractions exist and lead us astray when we leave our faith out of goal planning.
These distractions are no accident.
It’s easy to fall into this trap, so we must intentionally include our faith in our self-care goals and planning.
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One of my favorite authors, Priscilla Shirer, writes what I found to be a shocking truth in her book The Armor of God.
Her words nearly knocked me over when I read, “One of the most cunning tricks of the enemy is to get us to sink our energy into changing [ourselves] instead of focusing it on cultivating health and wellness in Christ.”
This is so true!
I’ve lived that way, and it creates a LOT of stress!
- Shirer, Priscilla (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 192 Pages – 03/15/2022 (Publication Date) – Lifeway Press (Publisher)
Applying Faith in Self-care Goals Avoids Stress and Brings Us Closer to God
God created our bodies with our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual systems woven as one.
He created us with this unique design so that we could include our faith in our self-care planning and goals.
Applying faith to our self-care goals avoids the distractions of quick or overnight changes, a big topic we frequently read about in Scripture.
Changing how we approach self-care and applying our faith in self-care goals helps us avoid the stress associated with the intense work (and false beliefs) of overnight success. It also prevents to the feeling of disappointment in ourselves when we don’t achieve what the world tells us to achieve.
Do you know what else we gain?
- We focus on what is best for us based on how we’ve been created.
- We focus on our gifts.
- And we have the chance to know God closely and intimately.
All of our body systems flourish and thrive. And do you know what is amazing?
When we prosper, Kingdom growth thrives, too!
Looking for a way to stay motivated to take better care of yourself? Click my affiliate link to check out my Bible study.
How to Experience Transformation
We not only find joy when we focus on the Lord, but we also avoid putting more stress on ourselves when we try to do things our way or in our strength.
It’s worth it when you avoid stress and consequences and grow closer to God. But including faith in self-care can also lead to a real transformation!
What could you be missing when you take the path of least resistance related to your self-care?
- God’s promptings
- Opportunities for God’s equipping for larger tasks
- God’s wisdom
- The blessings that are around you
These are BIG things to miss!
All of these interfere with Kingdom Growth because it puts our focus on ourselves and not the Lord.
Where do you find yourself tempted to choose the path of least resistance related to your self-care?
In closing, I want to challenge you to turn your energy and efforts away from the easy, quick, convenient, inexpensive, and tasty choices for self-care and instead be intentional about applying faith in self-care goals.
You can achieve this through prayer and obedience for the glory of God.
Don’t forget your FREE Self-care Starter Guide! Get it HERE.
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Post originally published December 5, 2018
Be sure to grab your FREE Self-care Starter Guide! Lisa Kimrey is a 33-year veteran registered nurse (RN), speaker, and author of the Bible study, The Self-care Impact: Motivation and Inspiration for Wellness. At Mylifenurse, Lisa combines her nursing expertise with Scripture-based encouragement to show readers who serve and care for others how to begin and maintain their self-care journey – without feeling guilty or overwhelmed – to feel happy, healthy, and rejuvenated.