Self Care v Selfishness

There's a tendency in the women in my family for a bit of self-martyrdom. We are all really committed to the projects, undertakings, responsibilities, and relationships in our lives. We do not like to fall short of our self-imposed very high expectations. There's a belief that to take time to put oneself first is the equivalent of selfishness.

Last week was a brutal reminder that if anything the self-martyrdom is itself the selfish act. There tends to be a thread of wanting recognition for all that work, commitment, giving that you are doing. Pushing yourself to the point of illness, exhaustion, or even just crankiness is hardly selfless.

For the better part of the last two weeks I've had headaches nearly non-stop. It is allergy season so I would just like to offer my (sarcastic tone inserted here) profound gratitude to allergies. That coupled with a hereditary predisposition to headaches and migraines leads to general misery. Last week I had to step back, take some time away from everything and give myself the permission to care for myself. This meant extra sleep, lessening non-essential commitments, and recognizing that I was not being selfish.

In ministry there is always someone in need, there's always a crisis somewhere, there is always one more thing to be done. We got into ministry to answer a call to serve God and to serve others. Caring for ourselves can easily become a last thought. I challenge you to be aware of this. Do you need to do a better job at caring for yourself? Do you need to change your attitude on that self-care? Even Christ needed time away from the crowds for prayer and rest.