Love Yourself First
Dear Friends,
When I was in the ordination process, one of the requirements for my formation was to spend a year at Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria after receiving my Master of Divinity here in Richmond. I was a single mom of three middle school aged sons, and this would require commuting and overnight stays, so I was heading into one of the most important and stressful work/life situations I had ever faced. As the time grew closer, I sat down and made a plan for staying sane: Take a break for exercise every day, even if it means staying up late into the night; get quality time with a friend, even if it’s only on the phone, at least once a week; keep eating healthy food, even if it means bringing my own dorm fridge!
I made it through that year, and in doing so I learned the immeasurable value of self-care as a discipline. And it is a discipline. “Self care” as a term can be overused and is often seen as synonymous with indulgence, but it can be hard work to set aside everything else and do the things that keep us well and whole.
I was reminded about this (the hard way, of course) just recently during a busy stretch with some impossible deadlines that kept me at my desk, glued to my computer screen for two days. I did not do my yoga stretches or go for a walk. I’m not even sure I prayed until sometime around 2:00 a.m. the second night, as the futility of attempting sleep became clear. The next day, I was a wreck, snappy and short with others, and the fact that my miserable condition was entirely my own doing made it no more bearable for me than for those who had to deal with me. It was a stark reminder that the command to love my neighbor as I love myself is relatively useless if I totally fail at loving myself.
As is often the case, Jesus shows us there is another path – one that leads, however briefly, away from all of the demands on our time and attention. In our gospel reading for this Sunday, we get a powerful glimpse, between a busy night of healing and a long day on the road, of Jesus stepping away to be restored. We see Jesus loving himself as he will love his neighbors in the hours ahead.
The world that surrounds us is full of needs…needs of all kinds and levels of urgency. Now, more than ever, I think the world needs people committed to loving and healing the way Jesus did. But if we are to keep our hearts open, our minds engaged, and our bodies serving, we must tend to them. The One who loved us the most still shows us the way.
In Christ,
Amelie+
