Tend Yourself

As Christians being governed by the law of love, God requires two things of us.
 • Love God with your entirety.
 • Love your neighbors as you do yourself.
When we observe closely, we see that our show of love for God has no impact on Him. The benefits of loving God in words and through  our deeds are primarily ours and the world’s. For example, the demonstration of God’s Love for us by sending Jesus to die on the cross has the greatest impact on us and potentially, the unsaved in this world.(John 3:16) When God asked King Solomon what he desired, because He loved God, what did he ask for? Wisdom to rule the kingdom God gave Him. Who did King Solomon’s request have great impact on? God? Absolutely not. The impact was on Solomon and his subjects. (1st Kings 3:13, 2 Chronicles 9:27)
My point is – loving God who you have never seen is super interconnected with loving your neighbor. Because you love God, you won’t lie to your Boss. Because you love God, you won’t hit your wife. And truth is – whether you lie or not, hit your wife or not, doesn’t change God. God remains unchangeable in spite of our actions and/or inactions. The outcome of our actions have the greatest impact on us and the world around us. To love God, we have to love our neighbors. If you don’t love your neighbor who you can see and touch, how can you claim to love God? (1 John 4:20)

Now, here’s my main question for today? How can you truly love your neighbor if you do not love yourself? This is the reason for today’s blog post – TEND YOURSELF.

Care for yourself. Nurture yourself. Love yourself. Be your best friend. It’s not being selfish. Not at all. Read the wise words of Michael Hyatt below.

“I have to attend to myself first (second only to God) in order to be spiritually, emotionally, intellectually, and physically available to others. If you have trouble with the semantics of putting yourself second, think of it as preparation to serve others.”

It’s absolutely unselfish to love yourself. Because the deal is – it’s only what you have that you can give to others. I’ll share some practical ways to tend yourself. I also encourage you to read my blog post – Be in love with you, first. What I’ll be sharing will either be a reminder or an eye-opener. Either way, the insights below have been tested and proven true by several thriving Christians.

1) Jealously guard your walk with God: Bible Study, Prayers, Meditation, Fasting, and putting God’s Word to work are primary priorities of a Christian. At least, it ought to be. If the 1st thing that comes to your mind in the morning is to check your Instagram notifications, you have misplaced your priorities. (I hope you still like me.) Your number of likes, shares, and comments will never bring you a true sense of fulfillment. You might feel good for a while or feel bad if the odds are not in your favor. But that never gives a true sense of fulfillment. Sweet fellowship with our Heavenly Father does.
Tip: Rather than keep your phone by your bedside, let your Bible and journal take that space.

2) Prioritize your sleep time: I’m balancing on this table. At nights when I don’t sleep on time (nights I sleep at 2 AM and start my day at 6 AM), the day becomes a literal mess, almost every time. Moodiness and sleepiness takes a toll on the day. To serve others, we have to be in a good physical shape. Imagine you are feeling irritable after a bad night’s sleep, and someone offends you at work the next day. Lashing out on your offender becomes a lot easier because you are not in a great frame of mind. Scientists recommend 7 – 8 hours of sleep daily. Some persons sleep less and still feel great. Some have to sleep a little more. You know what works best for your body whether you are a night or morning person, as long as you don’t sleep away your potential opportunities.
Tip: Try your best not to take your office work home. If the work exceeds responding to emails, you might be setting yourself up for overwork. If you work from home, set your boundaries. Have a sleep routine. Going to bed the same time every night is a great habit to form. It goes a long way in  predicting how you’ll start your days ahead. One more thing – try not to eat anything heavy right before you go to bed. The goal is to wake up refreshed, not sluggish.

3) Invest in your Mind: Books, Podcasts, Insightful YouTube Videos, CDs, DVDs, Mentorship Programmes, Online Courses, mention it, there are several ways to heavily invest in your mind. Our minds have unbelievable capacity to stretch, grasp and retain information. Question is- what information are feeding your mind with? Some persons will spend 3 hours fully mis-focused on Instagram but find it totally boring to watch, not even read—to watch an insightful video that will put them on the pedestal to success. There’s no magic to learning and growing. We have to put in the work and enjoy the journey.
Tip: Plan ahead (great on a Sunday) one audio/video educative and/or inspirational video you will watch daily through the entire week. Also, if you are one who doesn’t like to read, find a book that addresses a subject you are passionate about, and start with 2 pages per day. You’ll be surprised at how much progress you’ll make. You’d most likely exceed your 2 pages per day target.

4)Have a fitness goal: The need for physical fitness can never be overemphasized. If you don’t take care of your body, there’s only so much you’ll accomplish on the earth. A frail or diseased body cannot fulfill all that God has in store. There is great need to exercise our body. It doesn’t have to be super strenuous for you to be in a great physical shape. Consistency is the rule of this game. To make exercising a habit, it is highly recommended you work out or take a long walk 3 – 6 times a week. Some persons work out 7 times a week! Thing is- It takes dedication. Working out without eating healthy has little or no benefit. To be physically fit, you need to eat healthy, exercise regularly and rest properly.
Tip: Get a workout buddy (your spouse, sibling, friend). This will help you get more gingered to do exercises regularly. Prepping your meals ahead of time and clearing junks and processed foods from your pantry is a good way to control the kind of foods you consume. I consider the saying “you are what you eat” to be totally agreeable.

 

When we properly invest in ourselves; spirit, soul and body, we become fit stewards of our neighbors, loving them just as God desires us to love them – as ourselves. What other ways do you tend yourself? Share with me in the comments section. I want to know your self-care tips that help you better serve people.