Is taking care of yourself before others very selfish? Or is it wisdom from God?
Proverbs 4:23 says that ABOVE ALL ELSE, we should guard our hearts, for it is the wellspring of life.
My Story – I tried to be a Snail’s Rescuer
On one of my daily walks, I saw a tiny snail crawling on a busy road.
It was dangerous for the snail to be on that road, so I thought the safest place for it to be was on the Riverwalk.
‣ Did not Go as I Planned
I picked the snail up, and as I stretched my hand to put the snail behind the gates, I got caught in a thorn bush, cut my pinky finger badly and I dropped the snail. 🤦
‣ My Hurt Finger Gained all My Attention
At that moment, I did not want to be a saver of the creatures. I had to save my finger. It was bleeding so badly. I applied pressure, but it took some time for the bleeding to stop.
‣ The Lord Speaks When we are in Pain
Then the Lord spoke to me,
“Don’t people do the same? They try to save others but hurt themselves. Why did you think the snail could not survive on that busy road? I put all my survival instincts into that snail. And even when its shell has a crack, the snail knows how to fix it. It knows how to regenerate its shell. Look at your finger again in a few days, it will heal itself, and you will not remember how severe the cut was. I am the Creator. Every creature has got everything they need to live in this world. Many may want to save the world. But I say that there is only one Saviour. The plot of your story is: You must take care of yourself first, and then you can save the world."
Lessons from God:
‣ Take Care of Yourself Before Others
“If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete.” – Jack Kornfield
God does not say that we do not need to help each other. We need and we should.
But if we neglect ourselves, we can be caught in the thorn of fear, anxiety, burnout, and depression, like I was caught in that thorny bush.
Even on the flight, a flight attendant tells us to put a mask on ourselves first and then on a child.
How can you see the way forward for another person if you don’t have clarity of mind?
‣ God does not Want you to be Hurt
So often we try to help or protect others from danger, but in the end, we hurt ourselves more than we help another person.
We can be hurt if we do not see the results we want to see. We can be wounded if a person we pray for has messed up even more.
When we are depleted of our own resources, we are incapable of providing for those around us. – Rabbi Lauren Eichler Berkun
Rather than giving our situations, family, and people to God, we try to put that heavy load on our shoulders.
We believe we are doing them a favor, but self-neglect can cause us to harm those who we try to help as well as ourselves.
‣ Father Respected his Prodigal Son’s decision – Jesus’ Story
As humans, we want to see another person free and try to protect them. It is in our nature to protect.
We think we are helping, and when we do not see results or see worse results, we are confused, upset, or even angry.
My friend, Jesus told us the Parable of the prodigal son for a purpose.
It was not easy for the father to see his son leaving him. The father might be heartbroken hearing all the stories about his son and how he wasted his inheritance. But the father knew it was the right decision to let him go. It was better for his son.
‣ You can not Always be there for them
Sometimes we need to let them go. Otherwise, they will always rely on somebody and not learn for themselves. You can’t always be there to help your family and friends. You simply cannot.
That’s why it is important to give your husband or wife, children, or your friends into God’s hands. God is everywhere, and nothing takes God by surprise.
We are God’s creation, and God gave us all the instincts, intuition, and senses we need that enable us to live in this world and survive in extreme situations.
‣ Give your Family or Friends to the Lord
The Bible tells us to give our burdens to the Lord, and He will take care of us. (Psalm 55:22). God wants us to surrender everything that bothers us to Him.
But there is more – God will not permit the godly to slip and fall. The person you are concerned about won’t fail. God WILL NOT PERMIT!
This Word is very timely. It will free many of you and will take the burden off you.
And if you have a story to share, please leave it in the comments below. Always happy to hear from you.
Be Always Prosperous in ALL Ways!
Haly ❤️