Understanding Self Care

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In this series we are looking at how to get off the back row of criticism and move to front row leadership.

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Intro:
This morning we are going to shift gears in our series. We have looked at practical and spiritual elements of what it takes to move from being a back row critic to front row leadership.
In the series we have looked at:
Living in agreement with the kingdom of God and not prevailing culture.
Critics live at the expense of others. Front row leaders pay the price of discipleship.
The power of your testimony. Having good reputation and character.
To develop good testimony we will have to be consistent and disciplined over time.
That Jesus has called us to be Salt and Light. To do this we need the anointing of the Spirit.
These are critical elements of the believers life, but there is another element to leading from the front row. To lead effectively you will need to know yourself. Behind front row leadership and kingdom potential is a person.
Today we will take a moment to unpack our humanity because impact, leadership, and potential are tied directly to the person. We will also look at healthy self care.
Pause to Pray over the message: Ask for wisdom and understanding
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Submit:
How do we define a person?
A person is more than a name and date of birth. The make up of a person is a set of characteristics that encompass identity, self-awareness, awareness of others, emotions, self-determination, and a rational nature. Psalm 139:13-16.
Psalm 139:13-16For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.”
We are uniquely created by God with varying temperaments that have strengths and weaknesses. We are born into families that have varying characteristics, mindsets, and values. These characteristics, mindsets, and values lead us into experiences.
The culmination of these experiences have an impact on the formation of our identity. Which in turn effects our soul which is made up of our mind, will, and emotions.
Through childhood a person typically develops the basic functions for life. From various motor skills, emotional development, communication, and morals. Each of these experiences impact ways of thinking and acting.
They define much of what we express, friendships we create, along with hobbies, dreams and goals for life. Over time friendships are strengthened or fail, goals and dreams are achieved, changed, or hindered. In all of these dimensions a person experiences various emotions.
Life will bring setbacks and defeats along with victories and triumph. With setbacks we can become frustrated or discouraged. In defeat we can confronted with fear or doubt. In victory we can find joy and happiness.
All of these inputs influence the characteristics that make up the person. Therefore, it is important to take the time to learn and understand yourself. We can’t maximize our God given potential without first being aware of how were wired.
Simple questions like:
What fuels you and what drains you?
What God given passions do you have?
How do you handle stress and frustration?
How do you approach correction?
How do you handle your emotions?
Becoming aware of our makeup is not only a key to leading effectively from the front, but it is a huge component of good self leadership. Life will not be free from difficulties or challenges and we must learn how to navigate them in a healthy way.
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Apply:
A major challenge right now in our nation and around the world is the subject of mental health and self care. Many people are crippled with anxiety, fear, and depression are struggling to find their way out. While this may seem like a new epidemic to hit mankind it isn’t.
Generations of people before us have experienced and walked through the same things. Maybe modern culture elevates stressors, but they have always been their. Let me give you a few examples.
Moses: was afraid and self critical. Exodus 3:9-12. Exodus 4:1, 10.
Exodus 3:9-12 “Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” So He said, “I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”” (I will be with you = the anointing. God working through us what we can’t do on our own)
Exodus 4:1 “Then Moses answered and said, “But suppose they will not believe me or listen to my voice; suppose they say, ‘The Lord has not appeared to you.’ ”” (Moses is questioning-uncertain and fearful)
Exodus 4:10 “Then Moses said to the Lord, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.””
David: Struggled with weariness and grief, was treated unjustly. Psalm 6:6-7, 1 Samuel 30:6, 1 Samuel 19:10-12.
Psalm 6:6-7 “I am weary with my groaning; All night I make my bed swim; I drench my couch with my tears. My eye wastes away because of grief; It grows old because of all my enemies.”
1 Samuel 30:6 “Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.”
1 Samuel 19:10-12 “Then Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he slipped away from Saul’s presence; and he drove the spear into the wall. So David fled and escaped that night. Saul also sent messengers to David’s house to watch him and to kill him in the morning. And Michal, David’s wife, told him, saying, “If you do not save your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed.” So Michal let David down through a window. And he went and fled and escaped.”
Gideon: Struggled with Identity and was afraid. Judges 6:14-15. Judges 7:10-11.
Judges 6:14-15 “Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?” So he said to Him, “O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.””
Judges 7:10-11 “But if you are afraid to go down, go down to the camp with Purah your servant, and you shall hear what they say; and afterward your hands shall be strengthened to go down against the camp.” Then he went down with Purah his servant to the outpost of the armed men who were in the camp.”
Elijah: Dealt with depression and was suicidal. 1 Kings 19:2-4.
1 Kings 19:2-4 “Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.” And when he saw that, he arose and ran for his life, and went to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he prayed that he might die, and said, “It is enough! Now, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!””
Their stories reveal the similarity of humanity. Each of these men struggled in areas of their lives, but they also did great things for God! Today take courage! It is possible to live healthy and have impact. God is not afraid of our humanity, and has given us tools to be successful.
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Closing:
God has given us wisdom to become healthy spirit, soul, and body. Man’s all is to labor for the kingdom and enjoy life. Ecclesiastes 2:24. Ecclesiastes 12:13-14.
Ecclesiastes 2:24 “Nothing is better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and that his soul should enjoy good in his labor. This also, I saw, was from the hand of God.”
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil.”
Healthy self care is demonstrated in one finding the proper amount of rest, refreshment, and labor. It is not intended to become self indulgence and selfishness. It is possible to labor for the kingdom and enjoy life. We simply have to take the time to learn how to do it. Healthy people have healthy habits.
For example:
To be a healthy family it will require healthy people. If we live without margin in a constant state of chaos we will not be healthy as a family. We will have to find the right rhythm’s.
To be healthy single parent you will have to be intentional. In scheduling and busyness, finding rest and refreshment when its all on you. If not you may find yourself on empty.
To be a healthy individual you won’t be able to say yes to everything. You are not a machine. Developing intentionality to know your purpose and pleasure will take time. Learning to say no to good things so you can say yes to the best things.
To be healthy in your marriage you will have to develop good communication, set aside time to invest in one another, develop consistent rhythms of intimacy (emotional, spiritual, and physical).
To be a healthy teen or young adult you will need to develop a grounded perspective of life and healthy expectations. Diligently guard the inputs of your life that are creating and shaping your identity.
The goal in self care is for us to learn how to refresh ourselves without becoming consumed with ourselves or burnt out.
We have to manage the tension between self care and advancement. If it is all work and no play you will end up weary, depressed, and burnt out. If it is all self care and no work you will end up self centered, lazy, and unproductive.
The goal is to love and enjoy life while advancing the kingdom. To do this we will need the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Every life is different. Our internal make and drive is different. We will need the Holy Spirit to guide and lead us. He has the answers we just simply need to ask, seek, and knock.
Let’s Pray!
Ask the Holy Spirit to help us learn about ourselves in a healthy way.
Ask for Wisdom to know how to become healthy.
Salvation
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