From reading personal accounts, and from scads personal experience, I am here to tell you that the discipline of self care is NOT widely practiced by those who by vocation, avocation, ministry, employment care for others. This caring can be physical caring, emotional caring, or spiritual caring. Just because we care for others, doesn’t mean they care back.
Many of us, I suppose, feel “called” to be in caring professions. I think we believe it is always our duty, even to a fault to care for others. For some of us we may feel that laying down that duty for a day or a season somehow is denying that “call.”
I know this is very likely a case of stating the obvious, but it’s like "if you are traveling with a small child and there is a sudden change of cabin pressure, put your own mask on first, then attend to the child." What good am I to others if I don’t care for myself?
Perhaps Lent can be a time of repenting, of returning; a time of getting one’s own house in order instead of performing incompetent care without being fully present for others.
That being said, I woke up today with a cold (that I know I’ve been fighting for three days). It finally took hold, I feel terrible and achy. However, I did something I’ve not done since holding my current employment position. I called in sick. I am practicing the discipline of thinking of the bigger picture and laying my duty down for a day in order that I can be a present help to others on all days.
SOLI DEO GLORIA
Many of us, I suppose, feel “called” to be in caring professions. I think we believe it is always our duty, even to a fault to care for others. For some of us we may feel that laying down that duty for a day or a season somehow is denying that “call.”
I know this is very likely a case of stating the obvious, but it’s like "if you are traveling with a small child and there is a sudden change of cabin pressure, put your own mask on first, then attend to the child." What good am I to others if I don’t care for myself?
Perhaps Lent can be a time of repenting, of returning; a time of getting one’s own house in order instead of performing incompetent care without being fully present for others.
That being said, I woke up today with a cold (that I know I’ve been fighting for three days). It finally took hold, I feel terrible and achy. However, I did something I’ve not done since holding my current employment position. I called in sick. I am practicing the discipline of thinking of the bigger picture and laying my duty down for a day in order that I can be a present help to others on all days.
SOLI DEO GLORIA
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