Showing Up with Your Best Godly Self
I don't apologize for spending lots of time every single day taking care of myself and my relationship with the Lord.
I want to show up to anything in life with my best godly self. I want to show up like this to my family. I want to show up like this to my job. I want to show up like this to every meeting. I want to show up like this when things aren't going my way. I want to show up every day in such a way that will please God most. And I'm pretty sure God wants this too. He wants me to bear a lot of good fruit (see Jn. 15:1-5). But how do I get there?
It all starts with taking care of myself and my relationship with God first and foremost. After all, I'm the one who will be showing up to these various situations in life. If I'm in a poor state of being, that's going to eventually affect my thinking and behavior. If I'm physically tired, I won't be as present to a conversation. If I'm in a state of frustration, I may make some bad decisions. If my relationships are not healthy, this is going to weigh heavily on me. I must learn to take care of myself first and foremost. If not, I will have a tendency to show up poorly to things.
Taking care of myself includes spending enough time to cultivate various aspects of my life. I believe God wants me to care for my entire life well. He commands me with these words: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength" (Mark 12:30 ESV). God wants me to care for myself holistically: my mind, body, heart, and soul. And cultivating these parts of my life is one way of loving God deeply. If I care for all these areas well, I will inevitably show up better in various situations in life. I will show up with more patience. I will show up with more energy and concentration. I will show up with better ideas. I will show up with compassion. I will show up with the power of the Holy Spirit. I will show up with the right attitude and motivation.
Therefore, I don't apologize for spending lots of time every single day taking care of myself and my relationship with the Lord. I exercise and sleep properly to cultivate my body. I read books to cultivate my mind. I spend time with family and friends to cultivate my heart. And most importantly, I come before the Lord with lots of prayer, Scripture reading, worship, and contemplation to cultivate my soul. All these things help shape me as a person and they eventually help me show up to anything in life with my best godly self.
Do you want to live better for Jesus every day? Do you want to show up better to your workplace or your family? Do you want to serve the Lord with lots of good fruit? It all starts with taking care of yourself and your relationship with God first. There's a direct correlation between how much you care for your mind, body, heart, and soul and how much you will be able to give when the time comes. Don't skimp on caring for yourself and your relationship with Christ. If you've done the hard work of cultivating yourself, you will show up to anything in life with your best godly self.
Barnabas the Monastic
Servant of Christ. Husband. Dad. Modern Monastic. I have a wild ambition in life: get as close to the Lord Jesus Christ as I can while on earth. I explore and integrate ancient Christian monk wisdom in modern everyday life. Lives in Canada.
