Honor Your Space: Holy Face Mask
I used to think self-care was a joke.
I say this wincing, as my therapist did when I first told her the same thing last year. I know, I know, self-care isn’t a joke. It’s not that I was against taking care of myself, it was more of the way I had heard the term used. Trust me, I’ve learned my lesson.
It’s been a slow process, for sure, learning to recognize what my spirit, my mind, and my body needs. Before, I’d push through and just make myself another cup of hot tea, producing work that wasn’t my best because I was so drained. And though I’m sure you can relate, we all know that’s not healthy in any way.
While I’ve been wrestling through this discipline of self-care (a super difficult task for an overachiever), I’ve realized the similarities between the current trend of ‘self-care Sunday’ and the Sabbath.
On the seventh day, God rested.
If you search for ‘self-care Sunday’ on Pinterest, you’ll find attractive graphics with different things you can do, like a face mask, as a way of practicing self-care. And sometimes, that may be what you need. Last week, self-care looked like eating cookie dough and painting my nails, because when I paint my nails, it forces me to be still. Yesterday, self-care looked like spending my whole lunch break walking and praying.
Self-care is more than just a physical rest, it’s also taking care of your mind and spirit.
That seventh day, God rested. Not because He needed to (hello, sovereignty), but because He set the tone for what He intended for His creation. If an all-powerful God can take a step back for a day and rest, we mere humans should be able to, right?
One of the best things that helped me understand the importance of self-care was this:
You can’t pour out of an empty cup.
We know this. It’s common sense. So why do we prance around, wearing ‘tired’, ‘busy’, or ‘run-down’ on our foreheads like an honor?
Self-care Sunday isn’t that far off from the Sabbath.
On that seventh day, God refrained from doing work, and He took a step back to look at His Creation. By that point, God had created night and day, so when He did that, He literally was pausing to reflect on His work, the past week, to process everything.
And He created us in His image.
Dear Lovely Human,
We live in a fast-paced world. Everyone is eating meals on the go and pretending that multitasking actually gets things done faster. And sometimes, that’s okay. But don’t run down your spirit or your body trying to keep up with the world. That’s not how we were created.
Maybe you’re like me, and you feel guilty taking time to paint your nails when your to-do list is a mile long (as always). Sweet friend, know this: self-care is not selfish, it’s actually biblical. God rested on that seventh day, Jesus escaped to the wilderness at the height of His fame, and you should take time to fill up your spirit, your mind, and your body.
Believe it or not, honoring the Sabbath is a way of honoring God: it’s recognizing His intent for creation to rest, recuperate, and find relief in His presence.
Eat the cookie dough. Take a prayer walk. Paint your nails.
I pray you pour out of a full cup, not an empty one.
