8 Bible Verses About Self Care
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Do you feel alone, exhausted, or hopeless? Do you want to practice self-care but don’t know how to begin? The Bible says there are simple things we can do that will give us physical and spiritual energy for everything else. Here are 8 Bible Verses About Self-Care.
Whenever we hear of the term “self-care” it can feel as though it is something simply concerning the world. Although there is an idea of self-focused ness and an excessive preoccupation with ourselves or our outer appearance, self-care in its basic form does not have to be something that is self-indulgent.
We were created by God, and in His image. We’re told in scripture that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit, and that we’re to renew our minds.
Neither of these scriptures explicitly say “self-care” but in a very clear way, when we are honoring the body God has given us, and renewing our minds through His word, we are taking care of ourselves, and glorifying God.
God cares for our well-being, and that includes not only our minds, and spirit but also our bodies, and that they are taken care of.
But it is important to remember that ultimately, our eyes are fixed on Christ, and we can honor Him through taking care of ourselves in ways that refresh our soul, renew our minds and care for our physical well-being.
8 Bible Verses About Self Care
1. Mark 1:35
“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.”
Though Jesus spent a lot of time with people, He was often with His disciples, teaching in the temple, healing, or interacting with various people. But Jesus made time to spend with the Father.
It was in His time with the Father where He found His source of strength and refreshment. In the same way, our relationship with God is the foundation of our self-care. The way Jesus did this is through prioritizing His time with God through prayer.
We know from scripture that Jesus’ days were often busy, preaching the gospel of the Kingdom of God, and interacting with people. We often read that He woke up early in the morning, before He did anything else.
We may not instinctively view time with God as self-care, but it is on a deeper level, soul-care, and refreshes, fills and focuses us for the day ahead. If Jesus prioritized time with God in prayer, how much more do we need to do so?
2. Jeremiah 17:7-8
But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”
When we’ve forgotten to turn to God in faith, it can feel as though we are barely hanging on by a thread. The busyness and hardness of life can wear us out, and we can feel weary and depleted.
Trusting in ourselves, and trying to do life apart from abiding in Christ is like a branch that is disconnected from the vine hoping to grow. Instead, the branch withers away.
But scripture tells us that those who abide in God are like a tree planted by the water.
This tree does not fear when the scorching heat comes because it is rooted in the source of life. No matter what season we are walking through, we can grow in Christ.
3. Romans 12:1-2
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Another way that we can take care of ourselves is through renewing our minds. The old patterns of thinking and that of the world is a heavy burden to carry.
The world is always chasing after various things to satisfy them, whether that is money, relationships, achievements, popularity and so much more.
We are all, and have all been susceptible to this. But every human has a God-shaped hole in their hearts, and apart from Christ we will always chase after something to fulfill us, that was never meant to.
Through Christ our old patterns of thinking and behaving are renewed, and the old person passes away, making way for a new creature in Christ.
This doesn’t mean that we don’t struggle against sin, rather, sin is no longer our master, and we now have the Holy Spirit inside of us, helping us to flee from sin.
We can grow in the renewing of our minds, as we abiding in God’s word, and ask God to let His word change us, for our good and His glory’s sake.
4. 1 Corinthians 3:16-17
“Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?
If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.”
It’s sometimes hard to fathom, but God has chosen to make us His temple.
When we come to faith in Christ, He gives us His Holy Spirit, and He lives inside of us. In other words, Christ lives in us.
It is not only this truth, but also that God has created us, and given us our bodies, that we should take care of it, and honor it.
We can take care of our bodies in many different ways. Some of the ways are through getting enough sleep, eating food that will fuel your body, taking care of your health through exercise and not doing things that are damaging to your body.
5. Matthew 15:32
“Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way.”
We see Jesus’ compassion towards people throughout His time on earth. He not only cared for the spiritual state of others but He also cared for their physical needs.
Sometimes it might feel strange to think of what you are needing physically, whether that is rest, a chiropractic appointment, a nutritious meal, or a break from work.
There are ways that we can take care of ourselves that allows us to feel revived, and rest in God’s compassion towards us who knows what we need.
6. 1 Peter 3:4
“Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.”
When it comes to self-care, there are often two sides that we look at. Sometimes it is easy to focus on one side and not take in consideration the other side.
It is good for us to take care of ourselves outwardly, and there are different ways that we can do this, without being overly fixated on our outward appearance.
But God’s word reminds us that, while it is not a bad thing to take care of ourselves outwardly, there is an inward beauty that is far more precious to God.
This is the beauty of a heart, and spirit that is gentle and quiet before God. The world may easily judge a person on their outward appearance, but God looks at the heart, and that is what matters most to Him.
7. Matthew 11:28-30
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
The stresses of life can weigh heavy on your shoulders. The demands that need to be met, the responsibilities that need to be carried out, and the long list of things that still need to be done.
We live in a busy society that seems to always be on the go. And may people go from one weary day to another, simply trying to stay afloat.
When you feel like you’re carrying a heavy load, Jesus welcomes you to come to Him and find the rest that your soul needs. We can take care of ourselves, by allowing Him to take care of us.
8. 1 Kings 19:1-8
“Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword.
So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.”
Elijah was afraid[a] and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness.
He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep.
All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” He looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.
The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.”
So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God.”
Sometimes it is easy to fall into despair in the way Elijah did. He was alone, and felt hopeless.
Yet, God had a plan for him, and in the midst of it all, He sent an angel to encourage Elijah, and told him to eat and drink for the road that lay ahead.
Elijah ate and drank, and we’re told that he was strengthened by that food, and continues to travel forty days and nights to where God had instructed him.
We see God acknowledging Elijah’s physical needs, and how the act of eating and drinking gave him energy to get up and not grow discouraged.
In the same way, we might feel discouraged some days, and feel like crawling into a hole. Sometimes these are the simple things we need to do, that will give us energy for everything else.
Want more about what God thinks about our physical bodies? See below.
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