Treat Yourself

I remember a time in my life when I would literally be sick to my stomach when I tried to buy something for myself. Ever been there? We were pastoring in a small town, not making much money, living in the parsonage, and have a growing family. It was hard enough buying the things my family needed, let alone buying something I might need or even want. My daughter in elementary school even noticed momma had a problem.

We can get ourselves into a terrible shape if we don't watch it. It took a supportive husband, small steps of buying, encouragement from friends, and asking the Lord for help.

Liz Sarno recently wrote a blog post on this subject for Leading It and Loving It. She said, "I’ve gone on quite a few shopping expeditions, where instead of buying anything for myself I’ve spent my money on gifts for my family. I realized that I would pick out some things I liked, then systematically put them all back and replace them with things for my husband and kids. This is not a bad thing in and of itself, but after a few trips where I went home with nothing for myself I realized something. For a few months I had decided that I didn’t need anything and it was more important to be a blessing to my family, so I talked myself out of doing something for me. It is better to give than to receive, this is true, but it’s also ok to take care of ourselves. While being a blessing to my family is actually a good thing, I had to remember that it’s important to treat myself every once in awhile, too...It’s a common trap for women in general to put everyone and everything above ourselves, especially for us mommas, let alone women in ministry who have the added pressure we put on ourselves to take care of everyone in our lives first." 

The Word says to cast all our cares on Him, for He cares for us. I always knew that but I let legitimate cares of life blind me. I'm sure I'm not the only one who has experienced something like this. Do you feel guilty about treating yourself? Do you get sick to your stomach when you have to buy something you need? Let Liz's words of wisdom sink in and help you find freedom...read more