Spiritual Self Care Habits
Have you ever experienced the whipping of the wind in the dead of winter as the harsh cold buries itself into your face and hands, leaving you in a hurried search for something to soothe your dry skin?
Maybe you’ve chided yourself for not preparing ahead of time by applying moisturizer to combat the changing weather.
While the different seasons can leave you running to the closet to grab that coat you didn’t need for a few months, this idea of preparation plays a key role in our spiritual walk.
Just like moisturizer is the balm to dry skin, spiritual self care is vital for every season of life.
If we’re not careful, we can be caught in a tailspin in our spiritual journey.
We need to prepare regularly and create spiritual self care rhythms that will guide us through life—in the good seasons and the wilderness seasons.
It can be tempting and easy to live on autopilot, thinking our days are grand or we’ve made it this long with few disciplines. But God reminds us in Zechariah 4:6-9 that it is “not by power, nor by might, but by my Spirit says the Lord of hosts.”
God’s people we’re coming back to Jerusalem after living in a foreign land and being ruled by a foreign king. It’s go time to rebuild the temple and walls in the city. There’s vision, goals, dreams, ambition, and work to be done.
But there’s a call not to forget who is doing the real work. The people are using their hands, their talents, their days, but God is the one who is giving the motivation, the passion and bringing about the success.
The people need to take heed and have a soft heart, one that is ready to let God move and work in their lives to accomplish the task.
And we need to have the same mindset. Jesus reiterates a similar concept to His disciples in John when he says “abide in Me. For apart from me you can do nothing.”
If we want to accomplish any lasting and purposeful work, we need God to lead the charge.
We also need to play our part in creating rhythms and a lifestyle that welcomes God’s lead and work in our lives.
Spiritual self care is the way we make room for God to work.
Here are four refreshing spiritual self care habits to implement:
Get off your phone and experience the world God has created. We’re constantly bombarded with information. Every app is fighting for our attention with notifications and content. It’s an endless scroll. We’re told to laser our focus to a tiny screen, but the research shows it’s only creating loneliness, anxiety, and depression. There’s a better way. Open your eyes to the expansive world around you. Get outside and breathe in the fresh air, marvel at the flowers and animals. Savor time with your friends and family. The cares of the world begin to fade when we don’t allow the endless digital noise to feed us.
Go to the spiritual gym with your friends. Spend time with those who love God and love you. They will remind you of the truth of God’s Word. They will champion you toward holiness and living in a way that reflects Jesus. They will cry and grieve with you when life is hard and not the way it was created to be. They will hype you up to chase the dreams God has given you. They will laugh with you. They will be the community you need and a clear picture of God’s provision when He said it was not good for man to be alone.
Take a Sabbath. The setting of the sun is an opportunity to lay down the work we’ve done and trust God to use it, carry it, and multiple it beyond our capabilities. Each week is an opportunity to take one day to set aside our strivings and enjoy the life we are blessed to live right now. Resting guards us from running full throttle to build our own kingdom and get high off accolades and applause. It resets our minds to remember we are stewarding our gifts for God’s kingdom, not ours. And who doesn’t enjoy time to dance, play sports, go on a hike, take a nap, read a book, play games with friends, and the list could go on?
Commune with God. Get away to a quiet place and find solace in Him. Read His Word, listen to Him speak to your heart. Sing songs of praise. Confess sin and discover the welcome arms of a loving Savior ready to help you turn from your ways and walk with uprightness. These moments cultivate a deeper relationship with God and help you see the beauty of friendship with Him. For a more practical and encouraging look at this spiritual self care rhythm, I highly recommend reading Friendship with God by Mike McKinley.
God is so kind to have created this world with rhythms that serve us. We get to surrender to His ways and discover they truly are better.
I pray these spiritual self care habits fill you up and are the balm to your heart that keeps you refreshed no matter what season you find yourself in.
For His Glory,
