Put Yours On First

Flying on a commercial airline flight, you have heard "put on your oxygen mask on first before helping someone else with theirs." The reason: you can't be of help to someone else if you don't take care of yourself.

I meet with two young dads weekly to talk about life. A topic that surfaced recently was how do you ever get over being tired? "Do you ever get past the point where you are not tired all the time? It feels like we are continually giving to our job, volunteer work, and our family?"

After a brief pause, I said, "no matter what stage of life I have been in, I have made sure to have something in my schedule that is just for me."

Over the years, this me-time has varied.

There were a few years when my kids were young that I neglected this 'me' time, and I began to notice I was tired more often, was eating poorly, and had put on a few pounds.

After a non-threading wake-up call, I got back to scheduling some time for me. First, I did it for the physical benefits, but what started as quiet walking has evolved into a new community of friends away from work, church, and volunteering with the benefits of a healthier lifestyle. I realized early in this journey that if I wanted to enjoy all the years of my life, I needed to find a way to make investments for the future. That's 'me' time.

I admit, taking care of me started with some physical activity. Still, the discipline of regular exercise has helped me become more disciplined in other aspects of my life, including spending more time with God, listening to Him speak through His Word, or sitting quietly in His presence.

NOTE: To make this happen, I had to make some sacrifices, and most of those around 'sleep.' Or should I say going to bed early. Getting the 'me' time required, I do it first; therefore, and early bedtime was/is the trade-off.

In the creation narrative, we see God working for six days, and on the seventh, he rested.

In the New Testament, we can read many accounts where Jesus got away to himself. These accounts give detail of Christ spending time talking to His Father. I will take this a step further; I say Christ needed some 'me' time, taking care of Himself before He could adequately do all the things required of Him the rest of the day.

I lost a little weight when I started this 'me' journey, but that wasn't the goal.

I might have had to adjust my sleep schedule, but that was a little sacrifice.

I might have got a little stronger, and the aging process may have slowed down but…

What I gained was a lifestyle change, which I believe has helped me be more of what Christ has called me to be.

Where are you finding the time to re-fuel and reflect? Are you setting aside time for you so you can be your best for your family, your job, and your calling?