{"id":6946,"date":"2016-02-03T10:20:32","date_gmt":"2016-02-03T16:20:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lovingonme.com\/?p=6946"},"modified":"2017-03-16T11:35:06","modified_gmt":"2017-03-16T16:35:06","slug":"im-loving-on-me-for-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lovingonme.com\/2017\/2016\/02\/03\/im-loving-on-me-for-you\/","title":{"rendered":"I’m Loving On Me for You"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>The beauty of blogging is that life inspires my shareable\u00a0thoughts. In unexpected ways, I hear \u201cAh ha!\u201d in my head as the words reveal themselves at just the right time. Today\u2019s post was born from one simple, yet profound statement my chiropractor recently made about his personal philosophy on life. He said \u201cI\u2019m taking care of me for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

And there it was, the proverbial gong and clang on which his words traveled and landed in my core. Did you hear it, too?<\/p>\n

I\u2026We\u2026must take care of ourselves \u2013 mind, body and spirit. I am Loving On Me for you. \u201cYou\u201d is different for everyone. For me, it means the following and in this order: God, myself, family, colleagues and community.<\/p>\n

This message couldn\u2019t be more fitting to begin February \u2013 a month focused on the heart and love. As Valentine\u2019s Day approaches and the American Heart Association\u2019s Heart Month kicks off, I encourage you to think about how you can make \u201cLoving On Me for You\u201d happen in your life. The entire premise of \u201cLoving On Me\u201d is about honoring and respecting yourself so that you can be the person God created you to be \u2013 to be your best self and serve Him. In doing this, we must be obedient to Him and care for the gifts with which He has entrusted us. If we don\u2019t take care of ourselves spiritually and physically, how can we truly be His light, give our best as parents, loved ones, friends, mentors, leaders and humanitarians?<\/p>\n

An Ancient Lesson<\/strong><\/p>\n

Relevant to this day is an example from the Bible in Exodus 18. Moses, God\u2019s chosen one to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, was struggling to \u201ctake care of himself for his people.\u201d He was literally feeling the fate of the world on his shoulders, trying to be everything to everyone, when he felt a tap from his father-in-law, Jethro. This is how I imagine their conversation going.<\/p>\n

Jethro taps Moses\u2019 shoulder:\u00a0 \u201cExcuse me Moses, sorry to bother you but, what is all of this you are doing?\u201d<\/p>\n

Jethro clears his throat and speaks louder to get Moses\u2019 attention: \u201cMoses!\u201d<\/p>\n

Moses, startled, turns to Jethro, standing tall with his chest puffed out, dark circles under his weary eyes and a 24\/7 five o\u2019clock shadow on his face. He puts his game-face on (sound familiar?):<\/p>\n

\u201cHello Jethro. What can I do for you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Jethro, looking puzzled with one eyebrow lifted said: \u201cDo for me? Son, it appears that maybe I need to do something for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moses listened as wise words poured from Jethro: \u201cWhy are you the only one doing the work, sitting as a judge, while your people stand around and moan about their difficulties?\u201d<\/p>\n

Moses: \u201cBecause God put me in charge of these people. They come to me seeking God\u2019s will whenever they have a disagreement or when they need me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jethro: \u201cUh huh. Well, what you\u2019re doing isn\u2019t good. I\u2019m going to give you advice whether you like it or not. (This is why we love our in-laws, right?) You won\u2019t last much longer because the work is too heavy for you alone. You will wear yourself out and then you\u2019ll be no good to anyone, especially God.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Yep! Moses just heard the \u201cgong and clang.\u201d)<\/p>\n

Jethro continues:\u00a0\u201cGod has chosen you to lead which means you must be your best self. In order to stay the course, you must delegate to your people. Teach them the laws and the rules. Assign capable people to handle less difficult situations and you take care of only the most challenging. This will lighten your load so that you can fulfill God\u2019s commands.\u201d<\/p>\n

Back to Now<\/strong><\/p>\n

I hear you. It\u2019s not easy. To be honest, I struggle every day with allowing distractions to send me off track. But, I have learned to set a slow and steady, compassionate pace that helps center me when I veer off course. Many of you are pros at this, but for those of you longing to have a quiet mind long enough to breathe and think, perhaps sharing these small steps that are essential for me to stay anchored to my priorities can help you set a new path and find what works for you.<\/p>\n