When we are at our best, we are most able to carry out the work God has given us with energy and joy. Remember the air flight instructions? In an emergency, put on your own oxygen mask before helping anyone else. We can’t take good care of others if we don’t take good care of ourselves first. In Matthew 22:39, we are told to love others as we love ourselves, but how can we do that if we don’t treat ourselves with love?
However, we shouldn’t make healthy choices just so we can take care of other people. God created us in his image, and that gift deserves to be cared for and respected. St. Paul reminds us that our bodies are not our own. Jesus paid for them with his life so that at the end of the world, those bodies will resurrect and join him in heaven.
—from St. Anthony Messenger‘s “Faith and Family: Feeding Your Body, Mind, and Spirit“
by Susan Hines-Brigger
