A simple, I hope, question from MI Benefits Guy this month: When was the last time you took a vacation or some time off?
July 24 is International Self-Care Day, and it wouldn’t be a good idea to let July pass without asking you to consider how you’re caring for yourself on a regular basis.
It’s not just about vacation. Indeed, self-care has to be a regular practice. It is one we see modeled again and again by Jesus in the gospels. He goes away by himself to pray or to get some time away from the people he’s been called to serve. On one occasion, he tries to get away from the crowd, but they catch up to him, and out of pity, he does minister to them, but every other time, he holds that time as sacred.
What does this show us? That there can be occasional times when we allow our Sabbath to be interrupted by ministry needs, but if this becomes the norm, something is off.
One thing I’ve learned in nearly 15 years of ministry is that one of the most helpful reminders for my own self-care is this: I am not Jesus. Certainly, I am called to be LIKE Jesus. In fact, I’m calling you in this article to be like Jesus in how he practiced self-care. Yet it’s equally important to remember that we are not Jesus. We follow Jesus; we model our lives on his life, but we must have the awareness to realize that if we’re trying to act as the savior rather than like the savior, then we have probably missed the mark.
So, when was the last time you took some time off? Sat in silence? Meditated, prayed? Went to a movie? Slept in? These are all different ways of practicing self-care. What are you doing for yourself to become more like Jesus and to feel refreshed and renewed enough to continue to be like Jesus for others?
Last Updated on July 8, 2025