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In Mark chapter
12, Jesus articulates the entire law in two commands,
29 “Jesus replied, ‘The most important
commandment is this: “Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. 30 And
you must love the Lord your
God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.” 31 The
second is equally important: “Love your neighbour as yourself.” No other
commandment is greater than these.’”
Let us take a closer look at the second
statement; Love your neighbour as yourself. This command is one that applies to
us for our entire lifetime. We are not instructed to love our neighbour as
ourselves for a year only, until we become exhausted and nothing left in our tanks to give. We are being called to
love those around us consistently, in a way that demonstrates longevity,
trustworthiness and fruitfulness through a variety of difficulties and
seasons.
How you love yourself is intrinsically linked
with how you love others. If you are consistently empty, rushed, stressed or
carrying too much, the love you share with others will reflect that.
I encourage you regularly
to take time to reflect and evaluate your own health in the following areas;
spiritual, mental, physical and emotional. A helpful way to monitor and improve
your health in these areas is to list two or three things that fill you up in that
specific area. For example, spiritual (listening to a podcast, doing a soap devotion,
praying with a friend); mental (reading novels, walking and talking with a
friend, catching up with a mentor); emotional (family time, exercise, journaling,
listening to music); and physical
(swimming, eating a great meal, gardening)
These things will be meaningful to you. I
encourage you to find somebody who can regularly ask how you are going with self-care.
This person should know you well and have a copy of your list to encourage or
remind you to do those things. This is a form of positive accountability.
Love your neighbour as yourself.
Ps David Podhaczky
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