(Minister Well Newsletter, January 2017)
That’s right. I said it. I’m going to care about me! But is it acceptable for a Christian leader to put him/herself so high on the priority list? Even if you answer with a resounding “yes!” for many people there is an accompanying guilt. Perhaps more than any other vocation, ministry workers have a very difficult time maintaining a healthy boundary between their work and their personal well-being. It’s depicted well by a ministry friend who shared her resolve to be “selfish” in 2017, by which she meant to commit to taking better care of herself – mind, body, and spirit. If you are not already approaching ministry work with a martyr-like self-sacrifice, there is often someone in the church (e.g., congregant or co-worker) who will yoke you with that very common and unhealthy perspective. Instead, I implore you to listen to God’s voice in Colossians 3:23 – “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.” Most of us are not called to run ourselves into the ground “for the Lord.” Rather we are exhausting ourselves for “men” – to impress them, to be accepted by them, to be loved, to be appreciated. That said, let’s consider briefly how we might care better about ourselves – mind, body, and spirit – in ways that glorify the Lord and what HE has called us to in the New Year.
Mind
In order to make lasting emotional or behavioral change, it is necessary to change thinking. What needs to change in your thinking in order for you to feel peaceful and energized, and for you to behave in healthy ways? You have to believe: #1 – it is God-honoring for me to take care of myself; #2 – I am not called to be all things to all people; #3 – I am eternally loved and accepted by my God (even when I do/don’t…XYZ).
Body
Imagine caring for an infant. They need to have food and water on a predictable routine. They need to have their diaper changed often. They need adequate sleep. And, they need physical activity. So do you! Do you eat healthy food and on a consistent schedule? Do you go through the day with a bottle of water with you? Do you forego bathroom breaks? In all seriousness, preventing urinary tract infections or bowel problems by using the restroom when your body tells you to is not “selfish.” Do you enjoy restorative sleep? And, do you move your body enough to even be mindfully grateful for the body God has entrusted to you? You need to eat well, hydrate often, toilet routinely, sleep adequately, and exercise regularly.
Spirit
Let’s return to Colossians 3:23 for a moment. Our service is to be driven not by what we will receive from God or man, rather by gratitude for what we already have in Christ, as is expressed in verse 24 with “since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.” So my final question to us all is this – is your ministry service replenishing your deep peace and joy in Him? You need to serve with a heart of joy for what we have in Christ, rather than what we long to gain from man.
Challenge
Since you desire for your work in ministry to glorify God, then it necessarily must include enjoying Him. In order to truly live with abiding joy, you are not only allowed, but also responsible for taking care of your own mind, body, and spirit.
Wishing you good health – mind, body, and spirit.
In Him,
Heather Clark, Ph.D.
Licensed Psychologist, PY 7620