“Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2, ESV
What does ““Bear one another's burdens…” have to do with technical arts and self care? Everything. This past Sunday morning, my good friend and lighting volunteer at our church was involved in a serious accident severing the femoral artery in his left leg. Within three minutes he lost all ten pints of blood. Twice within the morning he experienced cardiac arrest. He is just 44 and healthy. I write this devotional he is fighting to wake up in Neurological ICU.
I begin with this story because, at some point in time we will be called upon to bear the burdens of another. A burden is something too heavy, too weighty to be carried by an individual, like caring for my friend's wife and children. We will fair well if we are diligent to take care of ourselves so that we are equipped and ready when we are called on to help carry the burdens of others.
Last week we looked at the first set of self-care principles from Dr. Eric Scalise. He encourages us to remember our first love, experience joy, depersonalize, rest, and sleep. This week we look at part two of our three-part series on self-care:
6. “Pay attention to diet and exercise”
I love sweets. Did someone say chocolate iced French cruller? The trouble is that when we don't pay attention to what we eat and how we care for our bodies we very well could miss opportunities God places before us. These may be opportunities to carry burdens of others, opportunities to be a part of technical missions trips, opportunities to serve others, etc.
We are given one vessel on this side of eternity. Steward it. We all can think of people who go overboard with fitness. This is not what I'm talking about. In the words of our pastor, Dr. Woody Torrence, “I eat to live, not live to eat.” Diet and exercise matter, they are important.
“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything. “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food”—and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? 1 Corinthians 6:12-15a
7. “Learn to be silent and be still”
Why? As technicians we are constantly surrounded by aural and visual stimulation. Many of us find it difficult or uncomfortable to be silent and be still. Without my commentary, reflect on these passages. What does God say about the importance of learning to be silent and being still? May we learn to do this well!
“But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray.” Luke 5:16, NASB
"Cease striving and know that I am God;” Psalms 46:10, NASB
“But know that the Lord has set apart the godly man for Himself;
The Lord hears when I call to Him. Tremble, and do not sin;
Meditate in your heart upon your bed, and be still.” Psalms 4:3-4 NASB
“The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him.
It is good that he waits silently for the salvation of the Lord.” Lamentations 3:25-26 NASB
8. “Create some outlets to avoid stagnation”
Dr. Scalise uses the example of the Dead Sea to illustrate this principle. It has one of the richest mineral deposits in the world and could potentially fertilize its surrounding areas. The problem is that only the Jordan River flows into it and nothing flows out and therefore no life can exist. Dr. Scalise states, “Moving water is living water and living water is moving water.”
Jesus says to us “Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure-pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return." Luke 6:38 NASB
Are there outlets in your life? Are you a part of environments in which you can grow and help others to grow? There needs to be a movement of the Spirit of God not only in us but also through us.
9. “Seek to give God your burdens each day”
Why? As Dr. Scalise puts it, “We are not meant to be burden bearers.” Often in Scripture, the metaphor used to describe humanity is one of a sheep. Sheep are not burden bearers. Someone once said that burdens are to be cast, not carried. Even in our times of carrying another's burdens in a season, we are to cast these to God. I struggle with the “how.” How do we do this? I often find myself simply naming them off, one by one to God in prayer. “God I give you this ____ today. It's to heavy for me Lord.”
“Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.” Psalm 55:22 NASB
“Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears our burden, the God who is our salvation.” Psalm 68:19 NASB
In Matthew 11, Jesus tells us that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. This suggests to us that if we feel a heavy, burdensome yoke, we are trying to take the lead, rather than follow our Lord.
10. “Learn to triage your daily life events.”
The word triage means to assess the degrees of urgency. It means to have the discernment to look at what is before you and have wisdom to know where to begin. “I have learned that not everything that is important is urgent and not everything that is urgent is necessarily important. We must learn the difference,” says Dr. Scalise. Learn to do this in our daily lives. Begin your day purposefully, having thought out what needs to be done and in what order. Ask God for this discernment.
“Teach me good discernment and knowledge, for I believe in Your commandments.” Psalms 119:66 NASB
“The steps of a man are established by the Lord, and He delights in his way.” Psalms 37:23 NASB
How do you stack up with these? Like last week, I encourage you once again to take these five principles and evaluate yourself. Ask a close friend or spouse for feedback. How would you rate yourself on a scale of 0-10 in each of these areas?
6. Diet and exercise:
7. Being still and silent:
8. Creating outlets:
9. Casting burdens:
10. Triaging your life:
Mark your scores. By the end, we may have a better picture of areas of our lives, which may need some attention.
Next week we'll finish this series with more ways church techs can learn to take better care of ourselves so that we may run with endurance.
