Me first?
Today at our MOPS meeting the devotional thought centered around kindness. One of the ideas presented in the discussion was "kindness to others begins with kindness to yourself."
The statement almost caught me off guard. Could this be true? ME first? The initial thought seemed so backwards to what I have been taught throughout my life. Isn't kindness about giving to others first? About extending friendship, being sympathetic and understanding, and at minimum, being humane? Why should I put myself first in the line for kindness?
But further thought brought truth to the idea for me... You can't keep giving when you have nothing to give. When you are empty, you can't continue to pour yourself out. Or can you?
In Jesus' 3 years of ministry on earth, He gave and gave. He extended kindness (and much more) to people including those who I am sure were very draining. But He (who was/is God) also made sure to take care of Himself. He made sure to take time with His Father to pray, to be alone, and to fellowship with his closest friends. He knew His limits.
As a mother and wife, I guess I need to be careful to take time for myself. Time to pray, read my Bible, relax, play games, exercise, and smile. I need to learn to say no sometimes so that I can be effective in my current mission.
Are you headed for burnout?
The statement almost caught me off guard. Could this be true? ME first? The initial thought seemed so backwards to what I have been taught throughout my life. Isn't kindness about giving to others first? About extending friendship, being sympathetic and understanding, and at minimum, being humane? Why should I put myself first in the line for kindness?
But further thought brought truth to the idea for me... You can't keep giving when you have nothing to give. When you are empty, you can't continue to pour yourself out. Or can you?
In Jesus' 3 years of ministry on earth, He gave and gave. He extended kindness (and much more) to people including those who I am sure were very draining. But He (who was/is God) also made sure to take care of Himself. He made sure to take time with His Father to pray, to be alone, and to fellowship with his closest friends. He knew His limits.
As a mother and wife, I guess I need to be careful to take time for myself. Time to pray, read my Bible, relax, play games, exercise, and smile. I need to learn to say no sometimes so that I can be effective in my current mission.
Are you headed for burnout?
posted by Sherri Lavender at
8:26 PM
1 Comments:
Hey sis,
Just caught up on your recent posts... good to read.
About "burnout:" I think I believe that if we keep in step with the Spirit (not just walking in the Spirit - Galatians 5:25) then we won't burn out.
Keep blogging!!
Carla
By
Carla, At
1:22 PM
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home