Knowing how to take care of ourselves according to God’s design implies the caring of not only our body but also our spiritual wellness and needs of our soul, since both our body and soul are God’s gifts for us; gifts that deserve to be cherished and protected. Self-care, in general, includes three areas of needs: body, mind, and soul; they need to be cared for holistically and individually. Self-care has a wide range of implications. Our holistic health extends to various areas, including physical, emotional, intellectual, social and relational, spiritual, environmental, vocational, and so on.

To achieve a vibrant overall health, we need to provide balanced care to all areas of need.  God is present in every aspect of our life and desires to bless us in each.

Throughout scripture, we can see that Jesus often spends time with his friends; taking care of His social and relational needs. In addition, He also pays attention to the physical needs of His disciples and those who follow Him, for instance, their needs for nourishment and rest when they are hungry and exhausted. As well, Jesus is attentive to people’s spiritual needs, especially when they lose their spiritual freedom under the bondage of their baggage. Jesus releases them from their spiritual bondage with forgiveness, pardoning of sins, and expelling of evil spirits. Certainly, Jesus is also attentive to our other spiritual needs. He insists on teaching His followers the truth and wisdom of life with various methods, for instance, through parables, Old Testament scripture, sacraments, exhortations, new commandments, and many other ways to reveal the face of the Father; all these to boost the spiritual wellness of His followers. Therefore, when we say we need to keep returning to the true fountain, that is, the Father, where we may quench our thirst and rest, and to receive God’s grace and strength, we also need to know that God wants us to be completely fulfilled in Him, no matter what our needs may be.

When we don’t know how to take care of ourselves, neither can we take care of others; thus, God cannot utilize us to our fullest potential, to care for the least of Jesus’ sisters and brothers and fulfil our life’s mission.

It is crucial, therefore, that we persevere in learning to structure our life and set its rhythm, so that we will not lose our balance and fall into chaos. The key is knowing how much God loves us and how important our physical, mental and spiritual health is to Him. Indeed, we need to emphasize that the Father has our greatest benefits in mind; however, He still allows us to experience difficulties, pain, and even serious illnesses in life. These are our blessings in disguise.

One of the best indications of our spiritual wellness is the degree to which we have achieved “holy indifference”.

Though God desires us to be healthy physically, mentally, and spiritually, the definition of our wellness is not determined by us but by the one God who has created us and knows what’s best for us. Otherwise, we may easily fall into the attachment of “desiring health over sickness”, preventing us from accepting God’s message and instructions with the right attitude, and leading us to the wrong decisions in our life.

If we fail to take care of ourselves according to God’s design and the way He cherishes us, He will warn us by sounding the alarm of our physical, mental, and spiritual health. Other than illnesses, another clear alarm is our utter physical exhaustion and tiredness to the point of losing interest in other people or things, having feelings of pessimism and resistance, and suffering from emotional turmoil. We cannot afford to ignore these symptoms and we need to pay attention to them and proactively take care of ourselves.

To conclude, being able to master how to balance “doing” and “being”, as well as our physical, mental and spiritual needs, is an important foundation for us to build a healthy spiritual life. Such is a critical lesson in our life.

Reflection

Do you tend to care about certain aspects of your physical, mental, and spiritual needs, while neglecting others?

Now, examine your reasons for neglecting, intentionally or unintentionally, certain needs in your life.

In your heart or subconsciously, are there reasons or perceptions that lead you to believe that the Father only cares for certain aspects of your life but not others?

Today’s Prayer

Loving Father, I don’t really know why, in the past, I had held the belief that Your concern and care for me is limited and narrow. This impression makes me fail to ask for Your help in certain aspects of my life. In truth, I have failed to recognize that my hidden needs are many. I now recognize that due to my “attachments” and “preferences”, in placing more emphasis on certain needs in my life, I have neglected the more urgent ones. Teach me to see through Your lens so that I may truly recognize and care for those areas of needs that have been neglected. Remind me that I can never resolve everything with my own ways but only through You that all my needs can be fulfilled. From now on, I endeavour to completely rely on You and come to You for help regarding everything I need. For this I pray, in the Holy Name of Jesus.  Amen.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

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