She Knows Her Worth

Do you ever start to feel completely crushed by all of your responsibilities? Overwhelmed by the never-ending list of to-dos and repetitive tasks that are necessary to keep a household running smoothly? Suffocated by the wants and needs of all the other people in your life that depend on you, and running out of reserves to keep up with their demands?

I’d be willing to bet this is an all-too-familiar feeling for the modern working-mother-homemaker, and it’s one that has been creeping in more often for me lately. The temptation to succumb to a sort of duty paralysis when the weight of responsibility becomes heavy is very hard to resist. When the whining children, demanding clients, hapless husband, and all the other needs start crowding in, I feel like saying, “Everybody just STOP! Leave me alone for a minute!” But I know that wouldn’t really solve the problem.

The “self-care” revolution of our post-Christian culture seems to propose a solution to the problem: just make time for YOURSELF and you’ll be better off in the long run. “You can only take care of others if you’re taking care of yourself.” But this solution has always struck me as, well, selfish. The Bible doesn’t point us to a model of loving self before others. God’s Word tells us the exact opposite, in fact.

“Though I am free of obligation to anyone, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.” 1 Corinthians 9:20

Because we have been bought and paid for, undeserving, we are called to love others as God loves us — giving mercy though no mercy was earned!

“…just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:28