January 11, 2018
I know this title may have caught you off guard. But seriously, I want you to listen:
Stop trying to take care of yourself.
Not physically, of course. I still want you to drink enough water, get enough sleep, eat well, all that. But mentally and emotionally, I want you to stop.
More and more, people are preaching varying versions of the same message:
“Stop trying to please others and just do what makes you happy.”
“Don’t worry about what others think, just do you.”
“Stop relying on others for your happiness, be your own friend and take care of yourself.”
It seems that as a whole, we’ve all been hurt by the people around us so consistently that we’ve started to look within ourselves to find joy and satisfaction. This can appear to be a wholesome enough message at first, but when you really think about it, it’s not going to do us any more good than putting our hope in other people.
Why? Because no matter whether it’s another person or ourselves that we’re trying to take care of, we can’t do it right! We’re only human. We slip up, we make mistakes. In the same way that we sometimes let our loved ones down without meaning to, we can let ourselves down, too. How many years in a row have you found with disappointment that those awesome New Year’s resolutions that were going to help you form great habits disappeared after just a few days?
Even if we didn’t make mistakes like we do, we still wouldn’t be able to care for ourselves in the way that we need to be cared for. But God can! The way He takes care of us is kind of like taking care of a puppy: even though that adorable little puppy that you would do anything for just wants to eat nothing but chocolate cake and to chase that squirrel into the road, we tell them no, because we know that’s not the best thing for them.
We can’t see the big picture like God can. We do not have the oversight to know what we really, truly need.
But luckily, we’re covered! Romans 8:26 says, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.” How awesome is it that no matter how hard we pray for healing, because Jesus Christ died for our sins, the Holy Spirit is just hanging out inside of us to say, “Hey, God, I know my man just spent twenty minutes praying for this, but listen, this is what he actually needs.”
So the next time you find yourself putting all your hope in yourself, stop and put your hope in the Almighty Healer. Instead of trying to take care of yourself, take care of your relationship with God, and in turn He will take care of you in the way that only He can.
I know this title may have caught you off guard. But seriously, I want you to listen:
Stop trying to take care of yourself.
Not physically, of course. I still want you to drink enough water, get enough sleep, eat well, all that. But mentally and emotionally, I want you to stop.
More and more, people are preaching varying versions of the same message:
“Stop trying to please others and just do what makes you happy.”
“Don’t worry about what others think, just do you.”
“Stop relying on others for your happiness, be your own friend and take care of yourself.”
It seems that as a whole, we’ve all been hurt by the people around us so consistently that we’ve started to look within ourselves to find joy and satisfaction. This can appear to be a wholesome enough message at first, but when you really think about it, it’s not going to do us any more good than putting our hope in other people.
Why? Because no matter whether it’s another person or ourselves that we’re trying to take care of, we can’t do it right! We’re only human. We slip up, we make mistakes. In the same way that we sometimes let our loved ones down without meaning to, we can let ourselves down, too. How many years in a row have you found with disappointment that those awesome New Year’s resolutions that were going to help you form great habits disappeared after just a few days?
Even if we didn’t make mistakes like we do, we still wouldn’t be able to care for ourselves in the way that we need to be cared for. But God can! The way He takes care of us is kind of like taking care of a puppy: even though that adorable little puppy that you would do anything for just wants to eat nothing but chocolate cake and to chase that squirrel into the road, we tell them no, because we know that’s not the best thing for them.
We can’t see the big picture like God can. We do not have the oversight to know what we really, truly need.
But luckily, we’re covered! Romans 8:26 says, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.” How awesome is it that no matter how hard we pray for healing, because Jesus Christ died for our sins, the Holy Spirit is just hanging out inside of us to say, “Hey, God, I know my man just spent twenty minutes praying for this, but listen, this is what he actually needs.”
So the next time you find yourself putting all your hope in yourself, stop and put your hope in the Almighty Healer. Instead of trying to take care of yourself, take care of your relationship with God, and in turn He will take care of you in the way that only He can.