Why God Cares About Your Self Care

Self care. If I’m honest, I hardly consider it. Up until recently, you wouldn’t find “self care” on my calendar or anything close to it. Everyone else and their lives and schedules come first.

And I know I’m not alone in living this way. Wives are notorious for being last.  And self care doesn’t even make the list.

Until recently.

Just a few weeks ago my son was diagnosed with a chronic autoimmune disease. Our world as we knew it will never be the same. Our lifestyle changed overnight. Our expectations. Our hopes. Our family. Our everything.

We went into full on remission plan mode. We researched, had appointments, bloodwork, and testing. And after many hours and long nights, I felt the slipping. The slipping of my world from under my feet. The slipping of stability. The slipping of my soul.

That same week my friend casually mentioned a cardio tennis class I would like. It was one hour long. When I heard it, my thoughts went something like the following.

Me: “I used to play tennis, when my world was different. Can I afford one whole hour to just play?”

God: “Take care of your soul.”

Me: “Tennis? Can tennis help take care of my soul? Can I afford to spend an hour not thinking about my son and all he needs and just play a silly game of tennis?”

God: “Trust me with your son as you play tennis.”

It became clear: Soul care wasn’t about the tennis, soul care was about the trust.

The biggest barrier to self care is being unable to trust God.

Playing tennis meant I needed to stop all other activity and hit a ball around. It meant I had to push all my cares aside and focus on a laced tennis net. It meant I had to trust God.

If we lay down the world we hold for an hour or two at a time, this is an act of faith. And this is so good for our soul. God doesn’t want us to hold the whole world. That’s His job. He is way better at it than we are.

He wants us to come to Him, lay down our burdens, and take His light and easy yoke. He wants us to trust Him as a good Father. He wants to restore our soul.

Dear wife, you can schedule in something refreshing for yourself for one hour each week. Something you love and enjoy that brings you life. God wants you to enjoy peace, to play, to be free. He wants to take care of your world as you make a self care choice.

Self care is a beautiful act of faith.

Wife Step:  Slowly read 5 times in a row the passage Matthew 11: 28-30 below. Then ask Jesus to help you come to him and trust him enough to place self care in your calendar.

28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Amy graduated from BGSU in 2001 and married her college sweetheart, Rob, one week later. Amy worked in the college ministry of Cru from 2003 to 2015–8 of those years she served as Team Leader. Since 2003 she has regularly blessed the Cru staff, students, and BGSU Greek life with her exceptional speaking, teaching, leading, and mentoring abilities. In June of 2015, Amy brought her experience to the Brookside Staff Team as Director of Outward Movement. In November of 2017, Amy wrote her first book on motherhood titled “Chin Up: Wearing Grace, Strength, and Dignity When Motherhood Unravels Our Souls.” Amy loves anything athletic and competitive, especially tennis and Spikeball, and in her words she “really tries to believe that winning isn’t everything. But, that’s hard.” Amy also enjoys creating things, decorating, and helping others make beautiful spaces. Amy and Rob have three amazing kids ranging from 3 to 10 years old.