By now you have seen and/or heard about Pastor Wesley’s sermon entitled: Selah. By now, you have ordered and adorned your Selah shirt in support of the message and our Pastor. Great, thank you for your support! However, there is still one more thing for you to do… and that is for you to consider how Selah applies to you personally. I KNOW, you may not be able to take an extended amount of time off- but, there IS something that you can do to make Selah significant to you. YES, there are many opinions on the subject of self-care. Opinions that differ about what you should do, how you should do it and even if you should think about it at all. All of this says that self-care will look different for everyone. What matters most, is that we embrace intentional actions to care for ourselves just as much as we focus on succeeding in other scopes of life.

This self-care information will provide you with help to:

  • Self-care is a practice that is centuries old and recently has been introduced as one of the newest buzzwords and sensationalized trends of today. In actuality, self-care is so much more than that!
  • Self-care is an intentional and committed plan that helps you pause, take a breath from life and the stressors that come with it in order to restore, reflect, recreate, revive, re_____ (make it personal and add your own word).
  • A self-care plan is a combination of deliberate acts that you incorporate to holistically care for your mind, body, spirit and soul. These acts are fluid and will likely change as life and situations in it ebb and flow.  What you do to care for yourself can look different from week to week or month to month.
  • Self-care is a way of life and acts as a mirror for the way you live your As a Christian it is a model to follow that was set for us by Jesus.  It should be anticipated and realistic, not a vague thought or second-hand notion.
  • Often we are reactive when it comes to our overall health. Moreover, it is especially beneficial for us to progress toward adopting a more preventative, proactive maintenance mindset versus a break in case of emergency mindset. The latter is routine and made up of a few favorite go-to activities to quickly reduce the level of stress of an overwhelming experience or event. Sadly, these activities can be so routine that they are no longer healthy, useful or effective.
  • Self-care plans can include a collection of time off (sabbatical), participating in a spiritual retreat, seeking God for spiritual direction, daily meditation, prayer and journaling, practicing mindfulness and gratitude, enjoying an extended time period of rest, spa treatments, exercise, implementing dietary changes, participating in a fast (Seek 2020 is coming soon), taking in a bit of “retail therapy”, getting together with friends, trying or learning something new or engaging in a challenging activity or event just to name a few.
  • The above are great places to begin. Why?  Because everyone has stress and everyone manages stress in their own way.  Therefore, your plan should be personal.  It should be as unique as you are.  A solid plan should be just as goal-oriented as it is action-oriented in order to help you reduce stress and enhance your overall well-being and life.

Think of self-care as an investment.  You invest in what you value.  It is a myth that self-care has to be expensive, elaborate or only implemented for special occasions.  Be creative, be different, be you!  Be bold and begin creating your own SEL-AH today!

In his book entitled Crazy Busy, Kevin DeYoung writes:

Jesus did not do it all. Jesus didn’t meet every need. He left people waiting in line to be healed. He left one town to preach to another. He hid away to pray. He got tired. He never interacted with the vast majority of people on the planet. He spent thirty years in training and only three years in ministry. He did not try to do it all. And yet, he did everything God asked him to do.

Living in the likeness of Christ is the goal- right??

The best self-care plan is incomplete without Christ. Consider these scriptures and incorporate some of your favorites as you make time and room to commune with God in order to release burdens and regain hope for every step ahead.

Genesis 2:2-3 (NRSV)
And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation.

Psalm 37:7-8 (NIV)
Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret–it leads only to evil.

Colossians 3:15 (NIV)
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.

Philippians 4:4-9 (NIV)
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Isaiah 41:10
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Matthew 22:37-39
Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind”. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: “Love your neighbor as yourself”.

Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

  • Go to the source! Pray, seek, invite God and make space for God to join you in prayer to discover what your personal navigational plan towards self-care looks like. 
  • Take time to reflect on applicable scriptures. A few have been provided in this guide.
  • It is admirable to serve others, but our best service happens when we first focus on and address our personal needs.
  • Be mindful of your own limits and needs. Boundaries are helpful. 
  • Start small and set realistic expectations.
  • When developing a plan, look at these six areas of your life: physical, spiritual, psychological, emotional, professional and personal. Here, honesty is the best policy and helps yield the best (and most effective) plan for you! 
  • Make a rough draft plan. WRITE it down.  Research offers that people who vividly describe and picture goals- especially by writing them down are more than likely to successfully accomplish their goals compared to people who do not.  Why?  Because you are storing the info in a location (paper, journal, etc.) that can be assessed.  2. Writing something down improves the chances of us remembering it and storing it in our long term memory rather than discarding it after some time.
  • Remember, a good self-care plan should have a positive impact on your life- do not over indulge in your selected activities- too much of a good thing can be bad and cause more detriment than good. Balance is key!
  • Enlist the help of a therapist. It is absolutely ok to have Jesus and a therapist. Unlike a good friend, a good therapist will not give you advice nor tell you what to do. Moreover, they will help you discover and use your power within to make choices and changes that are best for you. Here is the link for a great reference: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us
  • There are many therapy types that you can use collaboratively with traditional therapy. Such as art, dance and movement, drama and music therapy.
  • Speaking of music, create a self-care playlist of uplifting, empowering, and encouraging music.

UCF professors- neuroscientist Kiminobu Sugaya and world-renowned violinist Ayako Yonetani —posit that music positively impacts brain function and human behavior by reducing stress, pain and symptoms of depression as well as improving cognitive and motor skills, spatial-temporal learning and neurogenesis, which is the brain’s ability to produce neurons.

Here is a great song by a local artist- Rev. Jeremiah Hicks- that fits with the theme of Selah- add it to your list today.

  • Be creative. Introduce yourself to things that have peeked your interest. If not these, then research and take that class, do that “thing” you have been thinking about- you can do it!
  • Take some time off and shut down from social media, toxic people, places and things that always rob you of your energy and focus.
  • Invest in a planner to help guide you on your journey like this one.
  • Remember that a focus on self-care will likely cause you to make some changes in the way you do things. Embrace the changes.
  • Don’t procrastinate! Do it now, your entire you will thank you later!
  • Need further assistance or support, reach out to ASBC’s office of Christian Care & Counseling: pastoralcounseling@alfredstreet.org or Rev. LaTasha Morgan.

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; 3 Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah. 4 There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High. 5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early. 6 The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted. 7 The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah. 8 Come, behold the works of the Lord, what desolations he hath made in the earth. 9 He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire 10 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. 11 The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah. -Psalm 46

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; 3 Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah. 4 There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High. 5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early. 6 The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted. 7 The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah. 8 Come, behold the works of the Lord, what desolations he hath made in the earth. 9 He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire 10 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. 11 The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah. -Psalm 46