Hello friends!
Lately, I have been going through a bit of a "writer's block". It is a lot easier for me to scroll on my phone and be inspired by the myriads of Christian articles, posts and pins that get my wheels turning in my head as I think, "Oh, that is such a good topic to write about!", and yet, I continue to scroll.
I also have become newly acquainted with podcasts (yeah, I am not current or trendy in the slightest...) and have been listening to a few as I walk my dog, tidy the house, or even just sitting on the couch, trying to be inspired. Despite the many great biblical studies I have listened to, I could not get myself to write!
The number one key to writer's block is to ignore the hesitation, and just write- which is so hard to do! I had to peel myself away from my phone, ignore the sporadic buzzes from notifications and just... type.
However, forcing myself to write is a blessing, in that I can finally surrender to a few thoughts on my mind, releasing them through my fingers as I pour into the words on this screen.
I wish I could say I was, "putting pen to paper" instead of "typing on a screen"... it sounds so much more poetic that way.
Oh well. ;-)
Perhaps I am procrastinating, so let's just dive into my ten cents today!
As many people may know about me, I am a runner, but I also love to exercise in general. I love taking walks with my dog. I like trying to stay hydrated. I generally stick to a decent diet (however, my sweet tooth often gets the best of me). So sure, I am a relatively physically healthy person.
However, I have recently come to the understanding that although taking care of my body is great, it is just one aspect of stewardship God has given me, and I know I have tried to make it more than that.
I have definitely worshipped the idol of Health.
I have worshipped the idol of Fitness.
I have worshipped the idol of Goals.
I have worshipped the idol of Self-Care.
Do you get the idea?
We may not even use the exact terms I listed, but I feel like they tend to be synonymous... These idols collectively push towards putting myself first and others second, which is 100% against Scripture. Correct me if I am wrong, but there is not a single verse in the Bible that uses the term, "Self-Care". There is no passage that tells us how we ought to maintain our exercise and diet to stay in shape. There is no Scripture that tells us how to love ourselves more.
Why?
Because we already so naturally put ourselves first. We already so naturally love ourselves too much.
The scary part is that, in this day and age, rather than Christians upholding Scripture's command to love God and others (which implies we focus on ourselves last), many have actually manipulated verses and passages to fit this multi-faceted idol of Self.
My goal in future articles is to target key Bible verses, passages and terms that our culture has ripped out of context in order to "Christianize" many self-idolizing lifestyle practices.
Now, I can already expect the question here... Is this to say that taking care of ourselves is wrong? No. However, while taking care of ourselves is not sinful, it can become sinful when it takes over God's rightful place of worship in our lives.
So how do we know when this idol of Self is present? It is not like you are going to walk into my home and see me literally bowing before some shrine entitled "Self-Care" or "Fitness Goals". Idols are never that obvious!
Rather, idols are exposed in what encompasses our thoughts and actions.
As I reflect on the past several months, I can easily say my mind was not meditating on God or Scripture... most often, I was thinking about my running schedule, or what and what not to eat to meet my health goals for the summer.
I can easily say my daily practices hardly had anything to do with studying Scripture or doing anything to intentionally further Christ's Kingdom... and yet I managed to fit in every run, every workout, every protein shake I wanted to. On the days I did not read my Bible, I would forget, shrug and tell myself, "I will do that tomorrow". Yet, on the days I missed a run, you better believe I was in a bad mood and made others feel bad around me. Yikes.
So, I challenge you to reflect on your thoughts and actions. Is God encompassing your mind, your heart, your lifestyle? Or is it Self-Care? Is it your goals? Is it your physical health and wellness? Is it the idol of Self?
I intend to come back to this topic and draw it further as I bring a few verses to light that may be misrepresented in the health-crazy culture we live in, and how we can put health and wellness back in its proper place so we can serve God the way He designed us to.
If anything, this article feels more like a confession than advice, but I hope I at least gave an honest foundation to build on. :-)
-GB
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