Wise Counselors on Self-Care

Today, listen in to some wise counselors about what it means to appropriately love yourself as God loves you.

Our first reading comes from the old saint, Henri Nouwen. As you read, ask yourself, “What is speaking to me? What is hard to hear? What excites me?” and take those things to God

One of the greatest dangers in the spiritual life is self-rejection. When we say, “If people really knew me, they wouldn’t love me,” we choose the road toward darkness. Often we are made to believe that self-deprecation is a virtue, called humility. But humility is in reality the opposite of self-deprecation. It is the grateful recognition that we are precious in God’s eyes and that all we are is pure gift. To grow beyond self-rejection we must have the courage to listen to the voice calling us God’s beloved sons and daughters, and the determination always to live our lives according to this truth.

- Henri Nouwen, Bread for the Journey

A second voice is a pastor who writes a short personal reflection on spiritual self-care during catastrophes. It’s a very freeing article because it reminds you that you are human, which is just how God made you. Ask yourself, “Is there a word from God for me in these insights?”