What Does the Bible Really Say About Self-Care? (The Answer May Surprise You!)

When you hear the term self-care, what comes to mind?

Does it sound selfish, extravagant, new age, or for women who have a lot more time on their hands?

Is self-care all about pampering and “me-time” activities? (not that there is anything wrong with those)

What if I told you self-care was so much more than a desired list of activities but rather more about true soul-care, filling our cup from the inside out?

What if I went a bit further and told you that we have the perfect example of One who believed in the value of pouring in so He could pour out?

Would you believe me?

I used to be right there with you, thinking self-care was something I could try and squeeze into my schedule every once and a while, but I had more important things to do first.

But over the past year and a half, God took me on a wild ride that truly opened up my eyes to just how important taking care of my body was, and also how important it was to take care of my heart as well.

He reminded me that filling my cup through true, life-giving soul-care was a necessity in my life.

And guess what?

It’s a necessity in your life too.

Here is a fact we need to drill into our brains:

We can only run so long before we start to fizzle out.

Take your car, for example, it will only run, on average, anywhere from 25 to 35 miles or so before you have to stop and fill its tank with gas.

If we don’t fill up its tank, it will not run plain and simple.

The same came true about us…. if we don’t stop to take care of our spiritual, physical, and emotional needs, we won’t run for much longer.

We will start to shut down.

We will do no one any good – from our families, our children, our home and work responsibilities, and ultimately, growing in our relationship with the Lord – if we don’t stop and fill our cups from the inside out.

We are called to live a life of purpose and ministry when we follow after Jesus. That means different things to different people after all not everyone is called to full-time ministry but we are called to serve faithfully right we are.

I’m guessing most of you reading this right now, your calling is your home and family.

So now let’s ask ourselves an important question, what does the Bible really say about taking care of ourselves?

It doesn’t come right out and say that self-care is a spiritual discipline but rather Scripture gives us lots of examples of what true soul care looks like.

Look no further than Jesus.

Both fully God and fully man, Jesus regularly practiced the discipline of self-care.

No, He wasn’t pampering Himself with “me-time” activities but He knew the importance of removing Himself from His mission, work, and purpose, so He could fill His cup from the wellspring of life.

Matthew Chapter 14, among many examples in the Gospels, gives 2 specific accounts of Jesus doing something to fill His cup.

Spend a few minutes and read the full chapter of Matthew 14 in your Bible (or click on this link to read it right here on this screen).

Do you notice anything that stands out to you?

Jesus took the time to remove Himself from the crowds and His disciples to be alone with the Lord and to pray.

We aren’t privy to all the specific details of what took place in those moments by Himself, with God, but I’m sure of one thing, each time He emerged, He was full to continue on doing the good work He was called to do.

If this doesn’t convince you taking time to fill your cup is important, flip your Bibles all the way back to the first pages found in Genesis, the creation account.

“And on the seventh day God finished His work that He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all of His work that He had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy because on it God rested from all His work that He had done in creation.” Genesis 2:2-3

Yes, even God rested.

We aren’t going into the full definition of Sabbath rest here (that’s a lesson for another day!) but I want us to truly chew on these verses.

We, as busy women (wives, mothers, home keepers, workers, volunteers, leaders, friends, etc.) have a lot of hats up in the air, responsibilities, jobs, and so much to take care of. We are living our part in the big story BUT we can only run so long before our cups dry out.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…

We cannot pour from an empty cup.

We need to be regularly practicing true self-care that fill our souls from the inside out, that refreshes, recharges, rejuvenates, and re-energizes us from the core of our hearts.

Are you interested in going even deeper in understanding what true self-care looks like from a Biblical perspective?

I have some good news for you… The doors to Fill Your Cup are now open!

I am so excited to share this news with you! This course is designed to help you pour in so you can flow out.

…It’s about understanding what God’s Word has to say about our health, well-being, and self-care.

…It’s a blueprint to help you navigate how to care for yourself and live the intentional Grace-filled life with great faith, joy, peace, love, and purpose.

…It’s about turning off the lies that we have bought into when it comes to self-comfort vs. self-care.

Through this course, we are going to dive into what the real definition of self-care is using Biblical truths to tend to our souls and wellbeing.

The Fill Your Cup online eCourse Includes:

* 5 Modules with over 25 lessons

* Each lesson includes audio for easy listening convenience

* Printable workbook that goes along with each module and lesson

* Lifetime Access to ALL Future Updates