Self-care Is Necessary For A Successful Life

Luke 5:16
But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.

Self-care is being concerned about your complete well-being. Self-care is ensuring that you are happy. Self-care is ensuring that you live a quality sustainable life. Self-care is protecting yourself from physical, mental, social, and spiritual injury that affects the quality of your life. Self-care is prioritizing yourself first.

Jesus was a very successful leader that we greatly admire. Jesus is worth emulating. Jesus without an armed army started a movement that outlived all kingdoms and withstood great opposition from all quarters. Jesus had a philosophy of life that may easily be lost if we read the scriptures in a rush. Jesus was busy and productive and behind the scenes was a strong culture of self-care.

Our text today tells us that Jesus often, not once in a while but many times, withdrew from the crowds that He worked with. Jesus withdrew because the work environment can be toxic. Jesus withdrew because too much work can stress you up. Jesus withdrew because if you work consistently for too long your productivity goes down. Jesus withdrew because the longer you work the less productive you become, the law of diminishing returns.

Jesus withdrew to lonely places where He could unwind from frequent interactions with people. Listening to people and watching them can be draining. To recover from the draining interactions Jesus went to lonely places. This is self-care that Jesus made a regular habit.

If Jesus who is God the Son needed self-care, why do we foolishly think that endless working is a sign of commitment? Our productivity sometimes drops so much that our stay at work is actually a waste of time. It is like insisting to study the whole night and half the time you are dozing off at the table – you are neither studying nor sleeping, you are losing twice and the next day you won’t be as productive as you should be. Take time to sleep, it is self-care. Self-care is a religious commitment to our God-given life!

Prayer was also a strategy Jesus used in self-care. Jesus withdrew to pray alone. Not in a prayer warriors meeting, but alone. When you pray alone it has a greater effect since you demonstrate faith that isn’t interrupted by attempts to impress others. When we pray with others it is good but unconsciously we get tempted to impress those present. There is a place for public prayer, group prayer, and private prayer. Private prayer that is so personal that no one close to you will ever know – that is self-care. Jesus retreated and prayed in self-care!

It has been correctly said that those who work with people need to unwind in lonely spaces. Those who work alone without people, just machines and papers, may need to unwind in places where they interacted with people, it creates the necessary balance in life. Both groups need personal prayer for true self-care where God of heaven and His angels attend to you. Jesus worked with lots of people and He retreated in lonely places frequently, in self-care.

Self-care also includes scheduling rest, fun, and things that make you happy, so that it is not all about work. Self-care includes a deliberately good diet and healthy habits of exercise. Self-care includes avoiding toxic people and places. Self-care includes refusing to get into an argument that will drain you and has no specific value for you. Self-care is speaking up so that you are understood. Self-care is personal quality assurance. Self-care is stewardship of the God-given life!

May God help us to cultivate habits of self-care in our daily lives, in Jesus’ name, Amen!

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