(By Heather Marshall)
Have you served your body today?
This may sound like a strange question, because aren’t we as Christians called to use our gifts to serve others?
“God has given you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another” (1 Peter 4:10 NLT).
Yes! This verse tells us that we are called to be servants to each other. In doing so, we are imitating Jesus our Savior, the perfect servant who ministered with humility and love.
Although God calls us to a life of service to each other, I don’t believe we are to serve others to the point of physical exhaustion. Constant and excessive fatigue can eventually lead to mental, emotional, and physical breakdowns. And once we start to break down, we can no longer effectively serve.
Jesus Himself knew the importance of serving His body with necessary self-care so He could be rejuvenated for more service to others.
In Mark 6, the disciples had just come back from a mission trip and Jesus tells them, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile” (Mark 6:31a NLT). The verse goes on to tell us that, “He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and His apostles didn’t even have time to eat” (Mark 6:31b NLT).
Jesus recognized that to be able to carry on this ministry to others, He and His disciples needed quiet, rest, and food.
Peace, repose, and nourishment were the self-care activities Jesus had in mind when He invited His disciples away, but it didn’t materialize that way. As they were leaving in a boat, many people recognized Jesus and ran ahead to get to where they were going. Once they reached the other side, Jesus didn’t have the heart to turn them away, so He taught them.
I like to think that even though the disciples didn’t get the “all-inclusive vacation” away from the crowds, Jesus still ministered to their needs. They had quiet time in nature with Him in the boat as they were going to the other side. He subsequently met their need for food when He fed the 5,000 with the five loaves and two fishes and there were 12 baskets full left over — one basket for each of the disciples!
I think we can relate to having busy lives of service in our homes, churches, and workplaces, and it’s not always possible or feasible to completely step away from everything and take time to serve our bodies with self-care.
We can appreciate from this example of Jesus and His disciples that we can learn how to fit quiet, rest, and nourishment into our daily lives. We can do this with some simple but effective adjustments in our daily routines that will make us more intuitive servants.
Here are a few practical examples that we can incorporate into our days:
Breathe. Take several moments every day to breathe deeply and slowly, in through the nose, out through the mouth. Count to six for the inhale and exhale for a count of eight. Repeat six or more times, as you are able. Deep breathing in this way calms the mind and helps regulate our nervous systems.
Get outside. Everyone can take a few moments outside, no matter where you are. Enjoy your morning coffee out on your patio or balcony. Talk to a neighbor over the fence instead of over text. Watch the kids play from your front yard instead of from a window. Soak up the sun: 10-30 minutes daily is all we need to replenish vitamin D levels, which is important for healthy immune systems.
Move your body. If you spend a lot of time sitting in your day, get up and move around for a few minutes every hour. Incorporate some stretching into your day. Get out for a walk or play a sport that you enjoy. Exercise is an excellent way to boost mood and increase energy and overall wellness.
Incorporate healthy meals and snacks. Eating nutritious food at regular intervals throughout the day will keep your blood sugars balanced and will fuel you with the energy that you need for the day’s service.
Create a quiet place. Find a place in your house where you meet with the Lord daily, a special sanctuary for you and Him. Engage with Him there in prayer and in His Word, and as you step away from the day and into His presence you will experience true rest.
Friend, life sometimes gets in the way of taking a complete break from our responsibilities, but to be truly effective servants we need to ensure that we take moments every day to serve our bodies with self-care. With a little creativity and intention, we can ALL build daily self-care habits into our lives that will strengthen us for serving others.
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