Have you ever settled on the couch with a blanket, all cozy and comfortable, and someone crawled up next to you and wanted to share? As a mom, this is a big part of my daily life.
If I have a blanket and someone else is cold, of course I’m going to share with them. And if it’s too small, we’ll find them another one. If it’s the only one we have, we’ll make do.
This is what comes to mind when I think of stewardship, which is when God calls us to use our resources for the betterment of his Kingdom.
Most of the time, stewardship discussions center on money. Some of us tithe ten percent of our incomes to the church and its ministries. Other give when they can in the collection plate at church or find other creative ways to take care of God’s kingdom. Stewardship is important to God. In Genesis, we’re told God created the world, and then he created Adam and Eve and commanded them to take care of it and to be good stewards. Jesus had a lot to say about how money should not be our master (Matthew 5:42, Matthew 6:2, Matthew 6:25, Matthew 19:21, Luke 16:9).
But did you know that stewardship also applies to taking care of our bodies? In the last year or so, I’ve become convicted that taking care of my body is a powerful act of biblical stewardship. Here, I will share why and the many ways self-care honors the Lord.
My Downward Spiral
The pandemic took a toll on my health, but not in the ways that you might think. See, the pandemic was around the same time my now-teenage daughter’s mental illness became a violent monster to wrestle with.
She was very young at the time, still a preteen, and the anxiety and slight depression she’d been experiencing exploded in tandem with puberty and isolation. By the time kids went back to in-person school again, she was in middle school and dealing with all the drama that comes along with it. Her mental health worsened, despite doctors and counselors and lots and lots of prayer. Because she was spending so much energy fighting her mental battles, her physical health suffered, too, as her immunity worsened. She was sick all the time, and at one point needed sinus surgery.
Living in crisis mode as I scrambled to care for my daughter left me in survival mode. All of my energy was focused on balancing the needs of my daughter and family with my work responsibilities, and self-care took a backseat. I stopped exercising except on occasion, when I convinced her to go for a walk with me. I’m generally a healthy eater, but my nutrition suffered. My muscles were tight because I wasn’t moving around as much or stretching, and I was often sleep-deprived.
It was a terrible season for her, but also for me. Finally, light began to shine into our situation, and she was able to crawl out of despair. I was overjoyed at her progress, not only emotionally and physically but spiritually. Today she’s in a whole new place, thank the Lord. We still must stay vigilant, but life is far different today than it was four years ago.
But the crisis had taken a toll on my health. I was achy, lethargic, out of shape, and my skin and eyes didn’t look as bright. I felt awful.
Slowly, I started to prioritize self-care, and I began because I realized I couldn’t pour from an empty cup. If I was going to serve the Lord as a wife, a mom, in my writing ministry, and wherever else God called me to serve, I needed to be strong, and I needed to take better care of myself so I could do his good work.
Here are a few ways taking care of my body became an act of stewardship.
1. Getting Enough Sleep
When we don’t get enough sleep, our brains and our body don’t have adequate time to heal. We might be more prone to impatience or frustration, and our mood can drop. We also don’t dream as much when we are sleep-deprived because our bodies don’t have time to enter into that zone. Dreaming is good for us, and it helps us process what we experience in a day. It also can serve as a place where God likes to speak to us.
At first I started taking naps in the day, which is something I never used to do. It wasn’t always sustainable with my work and family schedule, and so eventually I shifted to just putting myself to bed at a decent time every night. I became really intentional about bedtime, but also allowed myself to sleep in a tiny bit longer in the morning. I did what I could the day before so that I would have less to do in the morning and be able to get some more rest.
Extra sleep helped me feel better both mentally and physically. It also helped my mood improve and my patience grow. Also, because I wasn’t operating in constant emergency mode, I was more open to the nudging of the Holy Spirit throughout my day.
2. Eating Well
I’ve always enjoyed nutritious and healthy food. Sure, I love dark chocolate and I’ve been known to pig out on ice cream or chips on occasion, but generally, I’m a really healthy eater. Yet in my time of crisis, I started eating a lot more carbohydrates. My body craved them, I think, because I was seeking comfort. While carbohydrates are good in moderation, too many (and too many empty carbs, like white flour) can be really bad for you. They contribute to lethargy and throw off your body’s natural sugar balance.
I started really thinking about what I was eating and being more strategic about food. I made sure that I was getting adequate protein, fruits, and vegetables, and I started taking additional vitamins and supplements. My body responded well. My brain fog began to clear, and I had more stamina.
When I treated my body better, I was able to do more. I also didn’t get the sniffles as much.
3. Stretching
Stretching is really important for me. I’m in my midlife now, but when I was in my early twenties, I worked out at a gym led by a man in his eighties who was incredibly limber and energetic. He told me his secret was stretching. He said that if you can stretch every day, you will always feel young.
I can attest to this as truth. Stretching is a physical challenge; it keeps your muscles and tendons loose and supple. It’s also a mental challenge — you need to release and surrender when you stretch, and if you push too hard, you can hurt yourself.
After a lifetime of stretching, I didn’t think that ignoring my own self-care for a few years would take such a toll, but it definitely did. My muscles were really tight when I started. But I persisted. Often I would stretch while I did other things, like petting the cat, chatting with my kids, or reading the Bible. It sounds strange, but I still often do my floor stretches while reading the Bible. Having something physical to do helps me focus better on God’s word.
Taking a few minutes to stretch reminds us of the gift of our bodies and how all its parts are interconnected.
4. Activity
I also started getting more intentional about general daily activity. For me, that meant walking on my treadmill or in my neighborhood. When I walk on the treadmill, I watch a show on Netflix, and that keeps me distracted long enough to embrace the habit. When I walked in the neighborhood, I’d listen to audiobooks at first, but then they turned into prayer walks, and sometimes they would turn into writing sessions. Again, I know this sounds strange, and this is not for everyone, but walking and praying triggers a lot of creative ideas for me and really puts me closer in touch with the Lord on my end. Midway through my walk, I’ll open up the notes app on my phone and start talking. I have written many devotionals this way.
The movement I was getting was helpful for my body, releasing feel-good endorphins and other chemicals that improved my mood. It also gave me more stamina and muscle tone. I feel like I have more energy to do things with my family or whatever God is urging me to do.
I also enjoy a little bit of weightlifting again and push-ups, because I’ve always had spaghetti arms and getting stronger makes me feel better.
All of us are at different stages, and these are the things that worked for me. You might have tremendous food allergies or physical disabilities that prevent you from doing self-care stewardship exactly the way I do, but you can do something to take better care of your body.
I can attest that self-care equips us to work better, but it also helps us be better at resisting temptation or mood disorders.
I encourage you to pray on whether self-care can be an act of stewardship for you.
God bless you.
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/piola666
Jessica Brodie is an award-winning Christian novelist, journalist, editor, blogger, and writing coach and the recipient of the 2018 American Christian Fiction Writers Genesis Award for her novel, The Memory Garden. She is also the editor of the South Carolina United Methodist Advocate, the oldest newspaper in Methodism. Her newest release is an Advent daily devotional for those seeking true closeness with God, which you can find at https://www.jessicabrodie.