Lately,  a recurring theme has been coming up everywhere in my life, culminating most recently with our Evolve gathering: Solitude. In order to properly pour into the community, we must first know, love and take care of ourselves. This continued revelation began when listening to the Robcast episode entitled: Wisdom: As Yourself.

In the podcast, Rob Bell begins with a story of fatigue and burnout. He had been constantly “burning the candle at both ends” and found himself in a moment of crisis. I won’t spoil the story, but he segues his personal experiences into a mini-sermon about what it means to truly “Love your neighbor as yourself“. Too many times we read that passage and don’t really think about what it truly means to “love yourself.” I find myself interpreting the verse in a way of treat others how you would want to be treated, and while that’s true, we need to delve further into the “how we would want to be treated.” Where do we need space? Where do we need attention? But most importantly, where do we need to admit we need help and rest?

Coming out of Evolve, mulling over the idea of how we take care of ourselves and where we need rest is highly critical. I would highly encourage everybody to check out this podcast and continue the practice of solitude by listening to yourself. Rob Bell is a wonderful speaker and this topic has been reshaping my life lately.  I have a feeling you’ll get something out of it too.

October 22, 2017