Read Part 1.
Does self-care have any place in a pastor’s life? Viewed solely from a worldly perspective, it’s questionable. But through a biblical lens, self-care resembles the biblical concept of stewardship.
Viewed biblically, self-care is stewardship of our personal resources and priorities. It is managing the resources God has entrusted to us for eternal benefit. Several Bible texts containing either instructions or examples come to mind.
Self-care sounds like man-centered psychobabble. It feels inherently selfish, contradicting biblical concepts such as self-denial and self-sacrifice. Why would a ministry-minded Christian pay special attention to himself or herself?
Let’s learn what self-care is, then see if any part aligns with Scripture. Perhaps it belongs on the trash pile of worldly philosophies. Or possibly common grace has made mankind instinctively conscious of a healthy practice.
“First, how much are vaccination rates really falling? Second, is our new health and human services secretary, longtime vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr., making people more wary of vaccines? Third, where might we go from here? And, finally, should you cancel those playdates?” - The Dispatch
“The percentage of U.S. adults who say they consume alcohol has fallen to 54%, the lowest by one percentage point in Gallup’s nearly 90-year trend.” - Gallup
“10.93% of women experience sepsis, infection, hemorrhaging, or another serious adverse event within 45 days following a mifepristone abortion…. at least 22 times as high as the summary figure of ‘less than 0.5%’ in clinical trials reported on the drug label.” - Breakpoint
“Some may dismiss our concerns as legalistic and destructive of Christian liberty, but probably no home in America has not been touched by substance abuse in one way or another.” - P&D
“Murthy’s advisory comes as research and evidence mounts about the bad effects that alcohol has on human health, but his proposal for a label would require a rare approval from the U.S.
“Meanwhile, 30% of Americans report having lost a significant amount of weight in the past two years, with 4% attributing the reduction to prescription medication.” - Gallup
“If we’re not careful, we can buy into a kind of modern-day gnostic heresy, where we deny the value of the body and the reality of our need to care for it.” - Christian Leaders
“Citing numerous studies and analyses, VanderWeele argues that the evidence suggests weekly religious service attendance is associated with ‘lower mortality risk, lower depression, less suicide, better cardiovascular disease survival, better health behaviors, and greater marital stability, happiness, and purpose in life.’” - Lifeway
