{"id":6419,"date":"2024-01-26T19:30:24","date_gmt":"2024-01-26T19:30:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/livingtheadventure.net\/?p=6419"},"modified":"2024-01-26T19:30:53","modified_gmt":"2024-01-26T19:30:53","slug":"word-of-the-year-self-care","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/livingtheadventure.net\/?p=6419","title":{"rendered":"Word for the Year 2024: Self-Care"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

There is a story of two loggers who had a competition to see who could cut the most wood in a day. One logger (John) worked feverishly throughout the day, while the other logger (Bill) was found to stop his work about once per hour. John thought this was because Bill was getting tired, so John would work even harder thinking he was winning the competition. At the end of the day, it was found that Bill had cut more wood. John was flabbergasted and asked, \u201cHow could you have chopped more wood? I heard you stop working at some point in every hour?\u201d Bill responded, \u201cWhen I stopped working, I was sharpening my axe.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I sadly have a tendency too often to be more like John and less like Bill. In a recent evaluation session with the Board of Directors, they asked me to consider how I was taking care of myself and my family. They asked, \u201cAre you practicing self-care where you leave work behind to enjoy renewal, rest, and family?\u201d The answer was sadly, \u201cProbably not.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Self-Care is a concept and practice where we are invited to come out from the busyness of life, the rigors of our work, and the responsibilities of leadership to experience renewal, rest, and fellowship. When self-care is not present in a person\u2019s life, stress, anxiety, and fear will often take up residence, creating a myriad of problems affecting our physical, mental, emotional, relational, and spiritual being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the Old Testament we see times where people are called to leave the normal routine of life to meet with God. In 1 Kings 19:1-18 we read of Elijah in desperation and in defeat being called to Mt. Horeb to meet with the Lord. In the New Testament, there are times Jesus models how to take time away and he also invites his disciples to follow this routine as well. In Mark 6:30-32 we read, \u201cThe apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. He said to them, \u2018Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.\u2019 For many were coming and going, and they had not leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Self-care when practiced as a discipline of life is part of the rhythm of taking care of the whole person. The act of self-care is not only about the renewal of the person, but of the person\u2019s relationships, as well. When I come to self-care, it is not about me leaving my family to go away (though there are times for that behavior); it is a balance of serving in the community or in places around the world, while also serving as husband, father, and son to my family. It is a balance and rhythm to my life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of the action steps for self-care for me in 2024 is:<\/p>\n\n\n\n