Living the Surrendered LifeNäide

For those of you who have flown in an airplane, you'll recognize the words, "In case there is a sudden loss in cabin pressure..." This is usually followed by them giving particular instructions about the oxygen masks that will fall from the ceiling should this sort of disturbance occur. They say and I (sort of) quote, "If you are traveling with someone who needs assistance, please place your oxygen mask on yourself first and then assist the person with you."
What a novel idea.

I think the verse above is a great example that we are to think of ourselves. We're just told not to do it too much! I mean, what good is the person on the plane next to us if we can't assist them? And we can't assist them if we don't have our own oxygen mask on first.

But what happens so often is that we forget about caring for ourselves. So many people even forgo some of the basic necessities of life to take care of another! It is more blessed to give than receive, but if there is no refueling going on in our lives, there will be nothing there to give.

We have to fuel ourselves. We have to feed not only our physical bodies to have enough energy to go about the daily tasks and goals that we've set before ourselves, but we also need to feed our spiritual, mental and emotional tanks, too. Here's what this looks like for me:

I eat healthy meals.

I also make sure that I stay active and exercise as much as possible.

I attempt to spend some alone time everyday even if it's just 15 minutes.

These guidelines are not crazy outrageous. They are simple and they allow me to meet the needs of so many other people in my life. Because if a person isn't healthy, whole and refreshed on a daily basis, it will spread over into his/her relationships.

Action Steps
Do you put on your oxygen mask before assisting others? Have you ever found yourself completely depleted? Spend some time making a plan of how you can take care of your needs so that you can take care of the needs of those around you better.