Caring For Yourself

I’m Rev. Jay Stuart Glover and you are listening to Faith Talk. 

I’m going to get right to the point. With all that is going in our current social/political context,  I’m concerned about the overall physical, psychological and spiritual wellness of people. 

In order to persevere through all that is going on we need  to take better care of ourselves in order to navigate our way.

I’m reminded of

Genesis 2:15 That says: "The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it." This scripture serves as a poignant reminder that God entrusted Adam with the responsibility of caring for the Garden of Eden, thus establishing a foundational principle for all of humanity:  we are caretakers. 

Unfortunately, we know that humanity has largely failed in this role as environmental stewards, leading to severe consequences  that we are experiencing today, such as climate change, public health risks, and damage to our ocean ecosystems just to name a few. 

As a second example of the poor human response to divine guidance, as we move in to the New Testament  according to the Gospel of Matthew 22: 37-39  we find another charge to humanity given to us by Jesus. 

 : “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’[c] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

Well I can say that collectively as the human species we have not done well in response to these profound words of Jesus. The evidence of the consequences  is clear as we look  at the global political landscape. We see power struggles, war, senseless violence and human suffering all around the world. The loving God with all of our hearts has been cast aside. Loving your neighbor is practically non-existent.  And if  we truly loved ourselves we would not make many of the choices we make.

  People have strayed so far away from the caretaker function as given by God to Adam and the love commandments given by Jesus that we are now experiencing global chaos. The deviation from our caretaker role and the love commandments has contributed to rising chaos, marked by increasing stress, anxiety, and poor health becoming the dominate narrative  across the globe. Our realized  capacity to love God and our neighbors seems to have  diminished.

My recommendation today is this : 

1- We must with a sense of urgency discover and experience  what it is to love  God with all our heart, soul, and mind, while also loving our neighbors as ourselves. 

For those who identify as Christians, loving God means following the teachings and example set by Jesus. Jesus said if you love me, you will obey my commandments. 

In the opening of this episode began  I  talked about our  responsibility as caretakers, as initially established with Adam. And  yes we need to take care of our garden the earth, all of God’s creation  and that includes ourselves. 

Studies are showing that  In today’s heightened political and social hostilities people’s  overall wellness is declining. The over-exposure to shocking news is contributing to high blood pressure, panic attacks and increased anxiety.  

So today I’m taking time to say that we must prioritize caring for our  physical, psychological, and spiritual well-being. 

Physically we all could use some adjustments and improvements to our diet,  our exercise routines and getting the rest we need. Heart disease, obesity,  diabetes, kidney failure and inflammation are on the rise even amongst young people. 

Psychologically: We are often too busy and inattentive to our our psychological wellness and emotional resiliency. So be attentive to how you are feeling. Be kind and  caring towards  yourself. We are living through a difficult period in our history. If you don’t feel well talk to someone, a pastor, a counselor, a spiritual director, a friend, and get the help that you need.

Spiritually: In a time where people have retreated from houses of faith now is a good time to be in fellowship with a faith community. Find somewhere to be part of a faith community.  Now is a good time to embrace your prayer life and immerse yourself in the scripture so that God can further reveal Himself to you. 

These are ways that we can love ourselves and put us on the track to being able to love our neighbor as ourself.

I’m Rev. Jay Stuart Glover, and you are listening to Faith Talk. In our current social and political context, it is essential that we take better care of ourselves in order to navigate the chaos that is all  around us. 

These episodes are available on ITunes, Spotify, Amazon, YouTube and other podcast platforms. Visit www.revjaystuartglover.com and leave a review, and comments. Thank you for joining our global listening audience and till next time take care of yourself, God bless you. Amen