What is your Aroma... in Self-care? (Part 3)
Everything you do has an AROMA to God,
It can be a sweet pleasing AROMA,
Or it can small like a rotten banana.
Even the way we take care of God's temple,
Is an active service,
And it produces an AROMA.
Did you know that we are God's temple?
Our physical bodies are God's temple here on earth.
Before Jesus there was one main holy temple,
Only one place the presence of God resided,
But now...
After Jesus' resurrection,
After the curtain in the temple tore,
From the top down,
Showing that God tore the barrier,
Not by human hands,
But through the blood of Jesus.
There's no more limitation between us and God.
Because of Jesus we have direct access to Him.
Because of Jesus Holy Spirit dwells within us.
Because of Jesus we are His TEMPLE.
"Do you not know that your BODIES are TEMPLES of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your BODIES."
So how are we maintaining His temple?
What shape is it in?
Is it sparkling clean with the latest upgrades?
Or is it run down with a lot of deferred maintenance?
Do we take care of God's temple better than we do our car?
We fill our car with gas,
We wash it,
Change the oil,
Rotate the tires,
Change the tires.
Do we do that much for God's temple, aka our bodies?
What would happen our car,
If we didn't fill up the tank,
Change the oil,
Rotate or change the tires?
Err...
The car would stop,
The engine would burn up,
The tires would blow.
The AROMA on that would be...
Fried engine,
Burnt rubber,
Money out the window.
That's why the car shop is always busy.
We maintain our vehicles because it's IMPORTANT to us.
Do we see self-care of our body and mind, God's temple, as IMPORTANT?
One of the things that we neglect the most,
As business owners,
As employers,
As leaders,
As humans,
Is SELF-CARE.
We have the best excuses, right?...
"The business needs me!"
"My clients need me!"
"The Employees need me!"
"I'm ramping up my business!"
"The market is crazy!"
"Just wanna get past this one hump...!"
There's ALWAYS a reason,
To work yourself way too much,
And not enough ON yourself, aka SELF-CARE.
It's interesting that God has a lot to say about SELF-CARE.
As Jesus followers,
We have poor logic,
Insufficient understanding,
About God's heart around SELF-CARE.
God says...
"Come to me, all who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you REST."
God does NOT say `come to me who are tired and I will help you work more.`
God doesn't value being an overachiever or a workaholic.
Neither does your family,
Your relationships,
Your mind,
Your body,
Nobody,
Nothing.
The WORLD values being an overachiever,
Here's the thing about being an overachiever...
It's the opposite of surrendering to the Lord,
It's the opposite of Jesus take the wheel,
It's the opposite of God's timing and His will.
Being an over achiever does NOT allow God to be the LORD of our life and business.
We put our self as the LORD of our life and business,
Kicking God off of the throne,
We usurp Him,
And NOT allow God to be LORD or the potter who shapes us.
"We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand."
Instead, we want to mold and shape ourselves in...
Our timing,
Our plan,
Our control,
Our identify,
Our image,
Our desires.
As a result,
SELF-CARE goes out the window.
There is no alone time with God,
There is no sitting in silence with God,
There is no quiet time with God.
Why is that important?
Jesus modeled it for us.
"And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, [Jesus] departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed."
"But [Jesus] would withdraw to desolate places and pray."
"And [Jesus] said to them, `Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.`"
Jesus made His alone time with God a priority.
He did it all the time.
As a matter of fact, the disciples were often looking for Jesus because He will pull away to go to a quiet place to seek God in private.
In all practicality...
If JESUS needed this on a daily basis,
How much MORE do we need to do it?
If JESUS can hear His Father's voice clearly and get directions and still went to a quiet place,
How much MORE do we need to get away to get CLARITY from God to make life decisions?
Alone time with God is the MOST important aspect of SELF-CARE.
All the other things are human focused and of the flesh.
Without feeding, growing and healing spiritually,
We are just another non-believer trying to make it in this world.
The RESULTS are amazing.
In a world where...
Mental health is at it's worst,
Panic attacks are as common as sneezing,
The devil doesn't even hide anymore,
God tells us ...
"do not be anxious about anything"
"fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."
"What you are doing is not good. Surely you and these people with you will wear yourselves out, because the task is too heavy for you. You cannot handle it alone."
God is saying, "I got you. Trust Me."
He's saying, "Let go. I got this."
He's asking, "Aren't you tired? It's time to rest."
He's whispering, "You don't have to keep going like this. This was never your burden to carry."
In a world where...
People can't sleep,
Good rest is hard to find,
Insomnia is rampant,
God tells us...
"I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety"
"If you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet."
The truth is we should be DESPERATE for God's version of SELF-CARE.
It's so much better than ours!
We should DESIRE to have a pleasing AROMA to God.
So what is your AROMA when it comes to SELF-CARE?
Does it have a sweet fragrance of lavender and mint,
Or does it smell like burnt rubber?
Is your temple standing strong,
Or is it burning down?
God designed for you to have a life worth living,
That in all circumstances,
When you follow God's model for living,
You will always have joy,
You will have healthy relationships,
You will have mental strength and stability,
Your love will overflow.
If you don't have these things,
Your temple needs a home inspection!
I am guilty of burning my temple.
I neglected,
I trashed it,
I burnt it,
I did it all.
That's why I know that you can come out of it as well.
God has a way,
He has a plan,
He is the best fixer of your messes,
So don't wait to come to Him until you're clean,
Come as the HOT MESS that you are.
I did.
"Dear Heavenly Father,
I'm a hot mess,
I screwed things up again,
I am here because I'm tired of being me.
I'm tired of trying to control everything,
I'm tired of my own expectations as well as others,
Especially the ones that don't align with You.
Help me shed the old and become new with You,
Help me make time with You,
Help me lay down and rest and take comfort in You,
Help me sit still with You,
Help me hear Your voice and be led by Your Spirit,
Help me be quiet with You,
Help me block out the distractions that lead me away from You,
Help me be go deeper with You.
Lord, I need You,
Jesus I seek You,
I can't do this without You.
Help me find health, balance, joy, faith and love in my life again.
Help my SELF-CARE have a sweet AROMA to You.
Show me the way and help me follow.
In Jesus name, Amen."
Cheers to a Holy Spirit led SELF-CARE plan and routine!
God's got you. Wohoooo!!!
