She waited until almost everyone had left the church auditorium. She chatted with her friends until she saw I was getting ready to leave then walked over to ask me a question.

“So, as Christians, if we are called to be selfless,” she took a breath, “how does it make sense to prioritize self-care? How can I justify doing something for myself when I’m called to sacrifice for other people in my life?”

I had just finished signing books after speaking to a mother’s group about the importance of taking better care of ourselves by letting God love us during the times we need it most — when we feel anxious.

As I asked my new friend about the pressures and stresses in her life, she began to share her story. As she did, I heard her deeper, real questions: Is it okay to take care of myself, even if it means the things I’ve been holding onto might fall apart? What if I fail to meet someone’s else expectations of me, including my own?

I heard the deeper desire of her heart that God hears us whisper: Am I worth loving too?

Are you longing for rest, wanting to take better care of yourself yet wondering if God really values what brings you joy and peace too?

During the holidays, when expectations are even higher, more than ever we’re aware of our anxieties. We feel pressure to make everything right and good for everyone. We put an unreasonable amount of pressure on ourselves to be all and do all. We compare ourselves and our families to others and carry this heavy feeling that we’ll have to work very hard to survive the holidays.

We end up ignoring our hearts and become numb to the joy and peace we long to feel. We keep quiet and soldier on, but God sees past our fears. God sees our hearts, and He will help us.

So, what if God wants our hearts more than our work? I want to share the soul care tip I shared with my new friend that day, and I hope it… (to be continued)

Read the Rest of  “A Soul Care Tip for the Holidays”

To read the rest “A Soul Care Tip for the Holidays”, click here to join me at DaySpring’s (in)courage, where today’s blog post is published. Join me there and share a comment. I’d love your company!

Enjoy Two Free Resources to Rest & Refresh: Download 33 Ways to Refresh Your Soul (a book excerpt) and 28 Rest Ideas (printable)

The holidays can be stressful. It’s just what happens. But, we can prioritize rest to reduce the stress! How do we do that, you ask?

To thank you for subscribing to my newsletter, I am extra happy to give you two free resources to help you through the holidays to spark joy, to rest and re-energize your heart, inspired by my books Finding Spiritual Whitespace: Awakening Your Soul to Rest and Whispers of Rest: 40 Days of God’s Love to Revitalize Your Soul, recommended by Crystal Paine when I was a guest on the Crystal Paine Show a few weeks ago. Use these practical ideas to take better care of you with God’s love!

10 Practical Ways to Create Spiritual Rest
(book excerpt)Finding Spiritual Whitespace
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28 Inspiring Rest Ideas 
(printable) a hand-lettered calligraphy printable

To Download These Free Resources:

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If you’re not a Newsletter Subscriber: Sign up here to download these practical ideas to relax into God’s love. And I’ll email you the download link for the freebies.

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