Self Centered New Year's Resolutions

This time of year, there is much talk of new year’s resolutions for self improvement and self care. I think this is interesting from a Christian perspective. Where should our focus be?

Is self care a Christian concept? Well, yes and no. When we consider the idea, we have to think about the example and teachings of Jesus and the apostles. Striving for spiritual discipline was always more important in the New Testament. Worrying about how we look or even simple material needs was not on the docket.

“25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[e]?
28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:25-34

Jesus was quite clear about these things that we call basic needs, but we go above and beyond worry about these things. We worry about our weight, do we look good in a tank top, should I be using a moisturizer, how much time at the gym is too much? Am I wearing the right shoes for this outfit? Do these jeans make my butt look too big? Am I too skinny to make this shirt work?

We are such a bunch of brats. Jesus seemed to think that if we dress like flowers and eat like birds, that was enough. How did we get to this degree of shallowness? Perhaps a lack of spiritual discipline?
I think we do need to be concerned about our bodies. God gave them to us and we have a responsibility to them. The very reason I abstain from same sex sex is because our bodies are temples of God’s Spirit.

“19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.” 1 Corinthians 6:19, 20

If we seek to be obedient to God we will not pollute our bodies. We must use our bodies in worship of Him….right???

So how do we keep out temples clean, in good repair and serviceable for the Lord? Paul said this:

“24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.26 Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. 27 No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. “ I Corinthians 9:24-27. 

So we have to bring our bodies under a strict discipline in obedience to Christ. What does that involve? Maybe running, maybe boxing? Possibly. The discipline we bring could be spiritual and it could be physical with the goal of bringing obedience to Him who saved us.

So is self care a Christian concept? If spiritual discipline is the goal, then yes; anything that enables us to serve Him and others to a greater degree. We must take up our crosses and deny ourselves. It’s a rough prescription, but we have to do it. I will not quote it here, but I would suggest a reading of Colossians 3:1-17 and Philippians 2:1-18.

In the end, it’s not about us. It’s about Jesus. If our “self care” and "self improvement" does not serve His purposes, then it is Christian malpractice.