Moms are notorious for shelving self in the name of love. I certainly did when my children were young.
Have a personal need? Shelve it.
Want to take a class or have a hobby? Shelve it.
Need a date night? Shelve it.
A break from child care? Shelve that too.
I know that sacrifice and motherhood go together, but sometimes we take sacrifice to extremes. Without healthy doses of regular, predictable self-care, we moms grow bitter and we burn out.
So if your personal needs have gathered dust all year, it’s time to take self off the shelf and put her first.
Read it again. Sometimes you have to put yourself first.
But Mary, in December? Can’t this be my New Year’s resolution?”
Sure it can. But what if you take time now to write down some personal goals? That way, your Christmas list can include items that will help you reach them.
Or what if you think now about your health needs? Maybe it will help you get ahead of holiday bingeing.
What if you invest in yourself on December 26th instead of buying marked-down Christmas wrap? Same money. Different priority. If you plan now, you won’t impulse buy.
Bottom line is, if you don’t have a plan, your needs will end up packed away on a shelf next to the manger scene.
Hey, December can be crazy, but the greatest gift you can bestow upon your family this holiday season is a refreshed version of yourself. Without intentional self-care, you may just bestow the greatest Grinch.
Trust me on this and return to the blog every Monday, beginning November 30th. Ask a friend to join you for this Self-care Challenge. Don’t worry. I’m not going to encourage you to be selfish. I’m going to walk you through God’s truth and show you that the birth of Christ offers you permission to think about who you are and what you need.
Jesus said: I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of. John 10.10 (MSG)
Mary Butler Coleman 