Cheer UP! Podcast
Cheer UP! Podcast
Prioritizing God in the Quest for Self-Care
As we usher in November, and while the smell of pumpkin and cinnamon wafts through the air, we take a moment to discuss something close to our hearts - self-care. It's not just about treating ourselves but nurturing our mind, body, and spirit to better serve others. And guess what? It doesn't have to be expensive - even a simple bouquet of wildflowers can do the trick! The right self-care routine can help us take better care of those around us.
Here's where things get interesting; we dive into the spiritual dimension of self-care. Drawing inspiration from the Bible, we discuss how our motives play a crucial role in self-care. We reflect on the life of Jesus and how prioritizing God can lead us towards genuine self-care. We stress the importance of surrendering control and knowing when to say yes or no, because it's pivotal in living the abundant life we are called to live. So, are you ready to join us on this enlightening journey? We promise it's worth your time!
Would you like to support the Cheer UP! Podcast? You can do so by clicking here
Kara's website - click here.
Cheri's website- here.
Email - cheeruppodcast@gmail.com
Instagram - @kararhunt
Leave reviews on - Apple, Spotify, iHeart, Google Podcasts,
Hi and welcome to the Cheer Up Podcast. I am your host, cara R Hunt, and with me is the lovely Sherry Swalwell. How are you doing today, sherry?
Speaker 2:I am doing great. Can you believe that it is already November?
Speaker 1:Oh no, you know, for those of us who have been listening to the, for those of you who have been listening to the podcast, this past year, you know I've been lamenting about how I kind of lost the month of February. I have no idea where it went. That's like 28 days I counted for because it just seemed to go from January to March to me really, really quick. But then in the summer I think I also lost June. It just kind of disappeared. I'll be as well. Time is flying by, and now you're talking about November, yikes, yikes. That means that another year is right on the horizon 2024. How about that, sherry?
Speaker 2:I can't believe we're already talking about 2024. It seems like I don't know. To me, anyway, it seems like just yesterday, when it was 2020. And right?
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:Absolutely, yeah, yeah, but anyway, I it's in our family, our youngest in me, we have a I don't know if it's a running joke or a running whatever, but November marks this time, sometimes October, sometimes we'll start in October, but most of the time November marks the beginning of the pumpkin season. So we're allowed to have pumpkin spice, this and pumpkin spice that we always hold off because our world is so like. In August they were already putting out the oh like blueberry and count chocula and Frankenberry cereal, and I'm like seriously, like can't we just enjoy August, like August is summer? Oh, I know you can, they put back the school stuff out for the July. So yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah so. So we kind of in our family my youngest and I we always like, we try to to savor the season that we're in instead of rushing to the next season that's coming. So we will not start pumpkin anything until November. So I am now officially able to have my one pumpkin latte for the for the season, cause I don't really like them. But they smell so good so I'm always like, oh, maybe I'll like it this time, maybe I'll know. Nope, I still really don't like it, but I always try. I always try. That is funny Because I don't care for it either. Another way that we're the same.
Speaker 1:Yes, I, I don't care for it either, and I try to because my, my husband's a, he's a, he's a, he's a, he loves his coffee right, especially early in the morning. And you know they also come out with a pumpkin flavored something, coffee creamers, yep, oh yeah, and he likes those. And you know, closer to the holidays, like he likes to get pumpkin flavored eggnog and you know things like that. Okay, I can't. I, I love the smell of it because it smells so homey and cozy but, I do not like the taste of pumpkin chai tea, pumpkin coffee, pumpkin flavored anything.
Speaker 1:Excuse me, now I will eat a slice of pumpkin pie and some pumpkin breads. I can eat, but like the the restaurant type flavor. Pumpkin offerings that they have to me have always had too much ginger and it's like a very strong flavor to me and I tried to analyze it one day, like why can I eat, you know, like a slice of pumpkin pie or something, but it is done right and I'm like but everything else I'm just bragging at and I'm like that's because it's too strong. I think it's the ginger. Someone else mentioned it could be something else, um, clothes maybe, oh yeah, um yeah. So I think someone else said well, maybe it's not so much the ginger, it could be the clothes, you know. And I'm like that's because they're overdoing it. It doesn't take all that.
Speaker 1:I'm like you just need a little bit, you just don't need to put so much in there because I'm always browning, I'll try it and I'm like, oh, you know, they say this is a pumpkin flavor tea, coffee, chocolate, whatever. And then I'm always grimacing after it because I'm like, like, what's wrong with this? You know it's not right, so I agree with you. It's um, I think it's the way these, some of these places make it honestly, and not so much the pumpkin flavor we're against is I just think they they make it too strong for those who are pumpkin lovers, you know, who love the heavy clove and ginger.
Speaker 2:Um, like you, I love the smell of it, but see, I don't want to go into coffee in my family, so I want to smell it, I have to drink it and I'm like hmm, so I? I here's what I did instead this year. They had a sale in the summer and they brought out their. Again, they're bringing out their fall sense in the summer.
Speaker 2:And this time I was happy because they had like a mega sale, so I bought a pumpkin spice candle so I and enjoy it without having to taste it. But I wanted to tell you see, I can't do pumpkin pie. I just I literally hate it Like hate it. I can do a drink, one per season, but I cannot do pumpkin pie.
Speaker 2:But anyway, I want to tell you and this is this is a plug for Pamper Chef, but not because I'm a person or anything but a hostess or whatever they're called consultant. But cinnamon plus from Pamper Chef. You can make it yourself, I'm sure, but cinnamon plus from Pamper Chef, oh, my word, it takes cinnamon up a notch. It is oh wow.
Speaker 2:It's good. I don't know what spices they put in it. I'm sure I could look on the back and tell you, but I don't have it in front of me. But oh, my word, kara, you have. If you ever have like someone who's a, if you ever get invited to a Pamper Chef party by the cinnamon plus seasoning, it is amazing, the perfect blend it is perfect, you had me at cinnamon plus, cause I'm a cinnamon girl.
Speaker 1:I am very much, very much a cinnamon girl. And not only that, I mean that has to be a staple in my house. You know, some people say milk and bread. No, with me it's cinnamon, it's a staple.
Speaker 2:You know what?
Speaker 1:It's like my kitchen doesn't function unless I have cinnamon. But it is also healthy for you. Yes, it is also very healthy for your digestive system as well. So for those of you, you cinnamon girls out there, not only are we enjoying the flavor, but it's really really good for us. So you know, be generous with your cinnamon dashes and swirls and cinnamon sticks.
Speaker 2:Have you ever had cinnamon just in warm milk? Oh no, oh there's. I read a book, okay, so here's. Here's where fiction books come in handy. People, fiction books are more than just. I remember what the book was, I don't, but they had.
Speaker 2:She called it, quote unquote magic milk, and what it was was basically like her time to unwind or whatever, and it was a critical effort, why they called it magic milk and I'm not going to get into the whole magic thing because it wasn't really magic but which called it magic milk? And so basically, it was just warm milk with cinnamon in it and I was like, oh my gosh, that sounds interesting, I should try it. I tried it. It is so good. We went through a period of time in our family where one of our kids was a little on the anxious side and so we would sit down and we would have magic milk meetings and we would make the milk with the cinnamon. And cinnamon is a really good like relaxer, you know, like calm your body.
Speaker 2:And so we would drink our milk and we would talk about whatever the issue was and it was I still to this day. I think I probably enjoyed that time more than my child did. But but yeah, so it, you've got to try that, you have got to try that, and then let me know what you think.
Speaker 1:Oh, my goodness I am, because, like I said, I am a cinnamon girl. You're going to have to. So how much cinnamon per milk? Do you remember?
Speaker 2:Whatever you want, there wasn't really to taste. Yeah, yep, to taste, and if you do the cinnamon plus, you're going to take it up a notch. Oh, wow.
Speaker 1:Okay, now I'll be looking for some pan for chef consultants and be like I heard, the cinnamon plus stuff is really really good. And again, let's not. Neither or not. I am not a consultant and neither yeah.
Speaker 2:So you can get ahold of her and she will be happy to oh, okay, cause that would be lovely.
Speaker 1:I would just absolutely love that, cause I got that. I love cinnamon and to me, you know, and now that you mentioned that I need to see if I can find some cinnamon candles, I think I have one that was like a cinnamon and vanilla blend.
Speaker 2:And just make everything so much creamier.
Speaker 1:Yes, yes, and so now I'm and for our listeners, you're probably thinking, what are you guys talking about? And it is a great fake way, believe it or not into our topic for the month of November. This month we are going to be talking about self care, caring for yourself, and this is the first of four episodes for this month that we are going to be talking about that. And I know you guys are probably saying, well, wait a minute. Four, you guys upload every Wednesday once a week. There's five weeks in November. Well, there's a treat this month we are going to have a on court Thanksgiving episode for that week, so it'll be four weeks of self care, and which is just perfect for right before the holidays, am I right, sherry?
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, Absolutely.
Speaker 1:It's just perfect for the holidays and so, and it also really piggybacks off of last month's topic in October, where for the whole month, we covered the topic of the benefits of enjoying the Sabbath. It's a B-B-A-T-H and we did that last month. Yep, we did that last month and yeah, we did that one last month. And so, if you guys kind of want to just go back and listen to those, it really goes hand in hand, believe it or not, with self care. So when you, when the phrase self care is mentioned, sherry, what do you think?
Speaker 2:So what I think of self care, Kara, I think I totally did it wrong my whole growing up, like my whole younger adult years, I never really took the time to learn what true, biblical self care was. I never took the time to figure out what it was that nurtured my self spiritually, physically, mentally and emotionally. I would do some things, Like I wasn't like completely zero self care, but I don't think I went about it and put healthy practices and healthy habits in my life from a young age and that I kind of regret and that's. But again, at the same time it's kind of fun in this stage of my life to learn what really makes me happy and what helps fill me up spiritually, physically, emotionally and mentally so that I can then in turn give to those that I love and give back to those who are depleted and give to those who are in need. So, like this summer I know it sounds kind of crazy we all know that I have had issues with emotional eating and just with eating in general, and this summer I have really been tackling finding freedom from that and so I've been finding other ways to not reward myself but to just fill me up. So instead of like, oh, I don't know if I want to relax instead of reaching for a donut or making a cake or having brownies or something like that. I'm like, okay, what else fills me with joy? What other things do I enjoy? And a dear friend of ours, yeah, a dear friend of our family.
Speaker 2:We had to say goodbye to my mother-in-law this summer, and it was the weekend before her memorial service, and two friends, two amazing friends, came over and they just brought things for us, for our family. So I got a vase, like a can, like one of those canning jars A canning jar filled with wildflowers, beautiful. We got food to help feed the family that was coming in, and we got this bird that's beautiful. And we got a card, a gorgeous card, and cards with writing really fill me up too. That's my love language. But I realized when we got the flowers. I'm like, oh my goodness, like this really brings me joy.
Speaker 2:I didn't realize how much just a bouquet of wildflowers fills me up, and so I told my husband after that. I kept him on the table for like two weeks and even they were starting to die and I'm like, I don't care, I'm keeping him on there because they just bring me joy. And so I told my husband. I said you know what? I said I feel really selfish doing this, but when you're out with the kids he takes one child every week, every Saturday morning, for a dad and kid date. And I said when you're out with the kids, he said if you just want to fill me up, I said, buy me some flowers, some wildflowers, but make sure they're less than $10, because if it's over $10, then I'm going to stress out about money and then that won't bring me joy.
Speaker 1:But if they're under $10, then I feel like I'm going to get an extravagant.
Speaker 2:It was over $10. So anyway. So I told him that and he brought me home some daisies and I'll tell you what. It again filled me with such joy. I refilled that canning jar. It made me think of my friend and made me think of my husband. It was so like all summer long. And then then, on top of that, two weeks later, when those were dying, I get a bouquet, kara from the florist of all my favorite colors oranges, and like the deep red, you know, like those fall colors.
Speaker 1:Oh yes.
Speaker 2:And it was from somebody who is associated with one of my jobs, and they just were thanking me for a job Well done, and you know what I felt like that was a total and complete Jesus hug, because he knew Like he's the one that put that joy in me this summer.
Speaker 2:Like that was one of the things that really filled me up and he, he kept delivering flowers, like God kept supplying these flowers. And then we live in kind of a small town, like on the edge of a small town, and one of the things that my youngest and I enjoy is going and watching birds and they were selling sunflowers on the side of the road. I've lived here for 24 years, kara, and that's the first summer that I have seen them selling sunflowers on the side of the road, and I love sunflowers.
Speaker 2:So we bought sunflowers two times and they were like cheap. They were under $10. They were five. So it's so I guess what I'm saying and I'm not trying to say that like that's the only way to have self care, but I'm seeing that, that I think self care is really, really important because oh so I'm sorry, I interrupted my own self.
Speaker 2:So my pastor, he told us this story about flying on an airplane and he says if you're flying with an elderly person or or somebody who needs your help a young child, somebody like that if, if the oxygen mask come down, you have to put your own on first in order to save the life of the other people, because if you're dying from lack of oxygen, you're not going to be able to put the oxygen mask on them, let alone on yourself. You have to take care of yourself first in order to effectively and Betterly that is so, not a word Take care of other people. So so I really think that self care is a super important topic for us to talk about because of the whole. If we're not filled up spiritually, if we're not filled up for taking care of ourselves physically, if we're not filled up mentally and emotionally, how are we going to be able to pour into other people from an empty jar.
Speaker 1:We can't we can't, we absolutely can't. And that kind of gets down to the essence of why self care is important. Because and like you say, when you hear self, the word self in self care, you're sometimes it's like, oh, but isn't that being selfish? But it honestly, well, it depends on the heart motive, right? Yeah, depends on the motive of your heart. Yes, it depends on the motive of your heart and are you and why you're doing it, what is your motive? What is your motivation for doing it?
Speaker 1:If it's just doing it because you're like I'm entitled to everyone else can do everyone else, can, you know, just fall off the curb, but I am just going to take care of me, me, me, me, me, me, and you kind of have that attitude going in towards it, that that's. That's not the kind of self care we're talking about. When we're referring to self care, we're talking about the biblical kind of self care, to where you are caring for yourself so that you will be physically, mentally, spiritually, emotionally and, in some cases, financially able to bless others. And that's very hard to do when you are not taking care of yourself. Basically, our bodies will just slowly deteriorate, and we mentioned this last month, even when we were talking about just taking the time to enjoy the Sabbath. There's a reason that God wants us to do that, because otherwise life is hard sometimes and it could rip us apart and if our bodies have been through a whole lot and we haven't been taking care of it, it's going to fall apart. I agree with you.
Speaker 1:Sarah, for your children, yes, for your children, for all those who love and care about you, because now they're worried, you know, and everything else. So it's all about your heart, motives and your reason for wanting to do it. And it's loving ourselves so that we can love others. It's taking care of ourselves so that we can take care of others. And, like Sherry was just mentioning, with the wildflowers, she noticed when she walked past them that it brought her joy. You know, and I'm pretty sure she's seen wildflowers before and I'm pretty sure she's probably had them and received bouquets of wildflowers many times in her life. But while she was going through this grief moment, you know, through this moment of grief, she just happened to realize the life that was in the wildflowers and it brought her joy. And when you're taking care of yourself, you need to. Sometimes it's just a little spark or a little something and it makes you smile. Pay attention to that, because that is your body talking to you and saying this is what's going to help you in this particular situation. You know, in your day, and with Sherry, it was wildflowers With you. It may be a birth, singing or drinking a cup of coffee while listening to or sending milk, you know, while listening to the, to the wind, chimes and the breeze, you may not even know it, but you're smiling. Pay attention, don't just brush them off. That is your body's telling you, this is the care that it needs right now. And you just it's paying attention and just taking the time to listen to our bodies.
Speaker 1:And most of us practice self care without even knowing it right. The majority of us will comb our hair before we go anywhere. Right, we don't generally go out the house without hair looking like it did when we first woke up. Well, I can't say, that has always been the case for me, but you know, for the majority of people, you know we, most people, you, just you. You you try to comb your hair at least before you go out to work, meet somebody, coffee, breakfast, what, what not? Running to the store for errands, self care, that not only is it. You know you're caring for your mental health, so that people won't be looking at you strange, but also you're caring for your hair. For the most part, you know, so you're taking care of that. A lot of us wash our face before we go out. You know a lot of us brush our teeth. The majority of people brush their teeth before they go out and a huge number gargle before they go out. All of that is our practical steps in self care. So that's the kind of self care we're talking about. You don't gargle and brush your teeth and comb your hair and wash your face before you meet someone or you go outside, not because it's selfish, but because you're practicing self care and those those little bit of practical things we do without even thinking about it, right?
Speaker 1:But then there's things that we need to do that relax us. There are, I know, people who go and get massages. There are people who get massages on a regular basis and if you have a high stress job, I cannot recommend enough getting a massage. Or if you know, or if you have a friend who's a masseuse to give you a massage, if you don't want to pay the cost for it, because, from what I understand, they're not necessarily inexpensive, but it's an investment. If you have a high stress job, it is an investment in your health for you to be able to go and get that massage once a week, once every two, twice a month or something like that, because a lot of times stress is in our, our muscle, in our tissues and you know, in our body and we're so tight and a lot of times those type of things can do it. A lot of people have their own massage tables at home, you know, and they just have someone else do it. In my case, fortunately for me, my hubby has a very good masseuse, you know, and with me my tightness just tend to be in my shoulders, probably because what I do for a living, but it's just nice to be able to, you know, have that and just someone to release those those muscles. Hot showers, hot, warm, hot baths, and everything does the same thing.
Speaker 1:That is the type of self care we're talking about. We're not talking about going into debt and indulging in something that you cannot afford. We're not talking about going, and you know, for instance, retail therapy, and you know you're like I don't have any cash on me, but I have money on my credit card and you go and you spend all that. That's not the self care we're talking about, because now you're causing more stress when it comes to pay that bill. So and the culture says, oh, you know, you should look good, you should buy this cream, you should raise this wrinkle, you should take these pills for weight loss and your hair. You should use this on your hair because you just need to look good, because for the sake of looking good, that is not what we're talking about. That is not what we're talking about.
Speaker 1:It is doing things that bring you joy. Doing things that bring you joy, that make you feel good, and it's. And if putting on makeup in the morning makes you feel good, then do it. You know, absolutely do it. If you know spending hours on your hair before you go out in the morning makes you feel good, then absolutely do it.
Speaker 1:But make sure you're doing it for the right reasons and not just because Instagram photos told you you got to look like this person, or you got to wear this brand name, or you got to wear this particular pair of shoes and you have to, you know, pass the selfies everywhere and everything else, because you just got to show everyone else how great you look, or that you're on this trip in Paris, and you know, and everything else. Doing it for the right reasons. Caring for your mental and spiritual and emotional health and, most, most importantly, your physical health, is important, but it's doing it so that you, in return, can bless others because you're healthy, you're able to help and mentally you're able to help those who just happen to be down at the moment just because of life circumstances. Is there anything you want to add to that, sherry, that I missed? A few things that you're thinking about.
Speaker 2:I don't think you missed anything, but I do want to add just a couple things that made me that what you were talking about made me think about. So I kind of think, Kara, that a great way to to judge is not the right word I'm trying to think of, of the word that I'm trying to say, but to weigh our heart motive behind. It is kind of like with the Sabbath. So when we were, when we observe the Sabbath, we observe the Sabbath in such a way that our focus stays on God. When we do self-care, what, like you said, what are our motives? Are our motives to to keep the focus on God or to put the focus on ourselves?
Speaker 2:And I love what you said how like retail therapy, for example, if you love to do your hair, that is fantastic. If that will, last a deep and that makes you feel good. That's fantastic, but not to the detriment of ignoring other people, or not to the detriment of, I guess. Check your motives behind.
Speaker 2:It is what I'm saying and I'm not really thinking of an example of how you could do that with a selfish mindset versus a good mindset. Except for the ones that you gave, those were great examples. But even in the Bible it talks about how, in Mark 1.35, very early in the morning, while it was still dark, jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place where he prayed. God, or Jesus himself, was our example. He was our model when he took on this human form for 33 years and walked the earth, and the Gospels are great at explaining that and showing us how he really did live. I love reading. The older I get and the more I read the Gospels, the more I want to read them again, because I just get more and more and more out of them every time I read them.
Speaker 1:Living words yes.
Speaker 2:Jesus knew what his priorities were, and I guess that's the other issue or the other encouragement that we want to share today is priority. So if you're taking two hours to do your hair and five minutes to say a quick prayer before you go out the door, that's not real self-care.
Speaker 1:That's exactly, thank you.
Speaker 2:That's having your priorities in the wrong order. God knew. Jesus himself knew that he wasn't going to be able to fill other people up until he himself was filled with the Father. And let's think about this Jesus was part of a trinity. It's God the Father, god the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Jesus was all. He was 100% God, 100% human when he was on the earth. So he had God in him and he still had to go and fill up.
Speaker 2:So if God or Jesus himself, if Jesus had to go fill up with his heavenly Father every day, how much more do we have to? Yes, we have the Holy Spirit living within us, but he is our example. So how much more do we need to fill up? So we need to keep our priorities in mind. We need to make sure that we're filling up spiritually, and maybe you can fill up spiritually while you're doing your hair. Pop in some more certain music, pop in a sermon. Yes, have a conversation with God with prayer. I'm not judging Kara and I are not judging. There are definitely ways that you can spend two hours on your hair, fill up with God and go fill up other people.
Speaker 2:We're just saying keep our priorities the way that they need to be so there are lots and lots and lots of scriptures that tell us how to have the right kind of self-care and why self-care is important. There's Jeremiah 17, 7 through 8. It talks about the blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him.
Speaker 2:They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes, its leaves are always green, it has no worries in the year of drought and never fails to bear fruit. Romans 12, 1 and 2 says Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God. This is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is His good, pleasing and perfect will.
Speaker 2:There are so many great books out there too, sarah, like Lisa Turquist, the Best yes and Boundary Books. She has one that's good boundaries and good vibes Dr Henry Cloud and Townsend I can't remember his first name, forgive me, mr Townsend they have tons of boundary books that are biblically based. They use a great book that says when Making Other People Happy Makes you Miserable, by Karen Endman, e-h-m-a-n. All of these types of books well, not types of books. These specific books are wonderful at teaching the right priorities and teaching how to have good boundaries and how to have or how to keep your priorities where they need to be.
Speaker 2:And once again, when Jesus was here on earth and he was our example he was not a doormat. He did not let people walk all over him. He did not let people like.
Speaker 2:There are times in the Bible when I first started to read the Gospels, when I was a younger believer, and I was like I can't believe Jesus was so mean because he knew his limits, he knew what he was supposed to do and when God said, enough is enough, you're done for the day, he was done for the day. It didn't matter if there were 25,000 or 25,000, 30 more people that needed him, if he was done. And God said he was done, he was done. He paid attention to the right priorities and I was like, well, that's horrible. What about those 25 people? Well, I'm sure God took care of those 25 people, but God also took care of the sun, because that's the way that God is the God that we serve. So, saying all that, one read the Gospels. It is so chock full of useful information to teach us how well Jesus modeled for us how we're supposed to live in this world. And he was not a doormat, but he also was not cruel and mean and terrible.
Speaker 2:So Thank you guys, happy programa. So, yeah, so we have to take care of ourselves physically, we have to take care of ourselves spiritually and then when we fill up those ways, as well as mentally and emotionally, when we know how to say yes, when we know how to say no, when we know how to have the right priorities, then we get to live that abundant life that we were called to live. So the Bible is talkful of scriptures that teach us how to have that self-care. So there is biblical self-care out there and it's fun.
Speaker 1:It's not only fun, it's necessary. But it doesn't have to be hard work, right? It could be enjoyable, like Sherry was just saying, playing worship music while you're doing your hair, applying makeup or just doing your morning self-care routine. A lot of people use that time to pray. There's ways to do that if your schedule is to wear every minute count in your day. You know you're like I have to get eight hours sleep, but yeah, it still takes me two hours to get ready in the morning so I can't really get up any earlier. Then that's considered multitasking. But again, the whole thing is about your heart reasons for doing it and saying I'm going to take care of myself so that I can take care of my loved ones, meaning being there for them when they need you. And having a slower pace in the morning is going to bless you, because to me there's nothing worse and some people, I guess, thrive on it, but to me there's nothing worse than frantic, hectic, chaotic mornings. You know, it's like I've just never been able to thrive in those type of situations and it just puts me in a sour mood when everything is, you know, kind of going that way. So I've one of the things I do and we'll talk about this more in further episodes, about practical steps we could take is I learned that, for me, in order to do that, I need my quiet time first thing in the morning. I need, I need quiet time and I need time with me and the Lord, and that way I'm narrating the day instead of the events. Narrating the day, because when the events and the circumstances and situations do that, it ends up being not a very good day, you know. And so it's like that's just one of the things that works for me.
Speaker 1:And if sometimes that means getting up in the wee hours of the morning where a lot of people are still asleep, then so be it. You know, that's what works for me. With others, it's staying up late at night, you know, because they're more of a night out than a morning bird, right? And so you find that sweet spot for you to where you can just have that time and quiet time to yourself and prepare and think about mentally how you want something to go. You, as children of God, we are to be leaders, and sometimes we think of only people or we're to lead people to the Lord, you know, and everything else. But that also means leading your situations and circumstances. They do not tell us what to do. We tell them what to do, and a lot of that we can do when we have clarity of mind, because we are practicing self-care. Did any of that make sense, sherry?
Speaker 2:Oh, absolutely All of it. And I want to say one of my favorite verses, especially in this season that I'm in right now, is anyone who asks of God wisdom, he will give it to them generously. So when we ask with a expectant heart, and when we ask only but respectfully, god answers those prayers. He loves those prayers, and I know I don't like doing life on my own as far as trying to decide what's the best course of action for me, I know there's a lot of people that thrive and don't want to give up that quote unquote control.
Speaker 2:But I think that you have more control and you're in a better place when you ask God for God's wisdom, for whatever it is that you're dealing with and whatever decision you need to make because you're still making the decision God's not taking that free will away from you. He's just giving you the full picture instead of you only getting to see partially of what it is that you need to decide about. So I just want to encourage people that when you quote unquote give God control or give up control or surrender control, you're really in more of a power I mean more of a position of power than you are if you try to do it on your own.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, and I think one thing to remember before we wrap up is that control can be deceptive. By that I mean a lot of times we think we're in control. That's okay, god, I got it. I don't need to handle control over to you because I got it. Well, in reality, you don't have it because you're probably being controlled by your emotions. You're probably being controlled by the pressure that the job is putting on you. You're probably being controlled by the demands that your family is putting on you, whether that be your spouse or your children. You're probably being controlled by your eating habits that are not good and that are not blessing your body. You're probably being controlled by life circumstances and the news that you're hearing. That keeps your emotions going up and down and on a roller coaster type ride.
Speaker 1:So control when we think we're in control? That's an illusion. Something is usually controlling us, and it's also given us the illusion that, oh, we got this, we're all in control, when in reality we're not. Our jobs are controlling us, our feelings are controlling us and our people are controlling us. Our bodies can be controlling us and so really assess and really think am I in control? And the chances are, when you sit back and you peel back all the layers of the onion. You realize then, no, I'm not out of control. Other people, other things, my career, my children someone else is controlling this.
Speaker 1:So when you give it over to the Lord and you're thinking, oh man, I hate giving up the wheel and everything to God. And just because I'm in control of my life, don't be deceived. A lot of times we are not in control and, by the way, even if you are, it's futile and it has an ending and it's very limited, because we're not the alpha and the omega. We can't see the end from the beginning. We can only control what we see, hear and know about. God knows about stuff we don't even know, we don't know about.
Speaker 1:And it is always best to put your life in the hands of the one who created you and who can see the end from the beginning. It's a win-win situation. But don't continue to be deceived and have that little minion on your shoulder say, oh, you got this, oh you're good, you don't know, and everything else, because in reality, when you really dig deep down into it, you're not okay and you're not good and you don't want to be in control of something that you don't even know where it's going. Give it over to the one who can. That's all I wanted to add to that, sherry.
Speaker 2:That was perfect. And with the last part that you said there, that made me remember, or made me think about the screw tape letters. Who do you want to be in control? Because, like you said, you're not in control, it's futile and it's a deception, and so either you give it over to God or Satan is the one that's controlling you. So which do you want it to be? And I know what my answer is on that one. So well put, kara. Thank you so much. I know that you could too, or at least I'm pretty sure you could too. We could talk about this all day long, and we're going to, but we're going to break it up into four different segments so that everybody can come back next week.
Speaker 2:So next week we're going to talk about what the signs are. Excuse me, what the signs are that we need self-care, and maybe that's my first sign.
Speaker 1:I need some self-care.
Speaker 2:So John 1633 tells us that these things I have spoken to you, that in me you may have peace. You know what, kara? I love that he starts the sentence with a positive before he then tells us about the negative and then comes back and tells us about the positive.
Speaker 1:I know right.
Speaker 2:I know, right In between two positives, never even really thought about that, but anyway I'll reread it again and, as I am, think about how it's positive, negative, positive. John 1633, these things I have spoken to you, that in me you may have peace In the world. You will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. I love, love, love that Jesus came down here on earth and that he modeled how we're supposed to live, and I love that he modeled self-care for us too.
Speaker 2:So next week we're going to talk about the different signs that we need or that we're in need of self-care and maybe figure out. Well, we'll just talk about the signs next week and then we're going to be talking about how to put healthy habits in place another week and then we're going to be talking about practical ways that we can use it as we head into the Christmas season. So If you have any prayer requests or if you need encouragement, we would encourage you to email us at cheerapodcastsatgmailcom. Please join our community over at the Facebook, at our Facebook group over on Facebook, and that's also called cheerapodcast. We're also on Instagram and are we on Twitter, kira.
Speaker 1:Yes, we are, yes, we are.
Speaker 2:So see, we're everywhere Well, not everywhere, but we're a lot of different places. So come join us. Head over to Kira's website, kiraahuntcom, and you can find out more about her Habakkuk series as well, as, if you're interested in finding out how to be a Christ follower. She has resources over there. I also have resources on my website, sherryswallwellcom, because really our heart is to encourage people and to point you to the one who is everything, who loves us so much that he wants us to have, or he wants to have, a relationship with us. He wants us to surrender our lives so that we can truly live. So if that is you and if that is something that you're interested in, you can head to either one of our websites. We'll show you the path on how to become a Christ follower for yourself and once you are saved, once you have become a believer, or if you've been a believer for years and you are motivated and encouraged and you want to get started on growing that relationship with God that you just really don't know how, I encourage you to check out the Jesus in the Everyday, monthly Membership, 365 days a year. It will give you prompts and start to jumpstart a conversation with God every day and then you can take it from there and make it your own. So I would encourage you to do that as well. Have a great rest of your day today. Drop us a line and let us know how you're going to practice some self-care today and the rest of this week and I do. I am wondering.
Speaker 2:Last week, I gave everybody the challenge of finding your own pace and being intentional. To see the flowers, to see the leaves on the trees. I mean, this is like the perfect time of year to see, to really enjoy what you see. Like the leaves are turning, depending, I guess, on where you are in the country and where you are in the state. We'll depend if you have leaves turning or not, but we do in this part. So maybe you have beautiful flowers right now, like maybe you're in your summer season, as we're in our fall season.
Speaker 2:So what did you? What were you intentional about? Did you slow down and really pay attention to the conversations with your loved ones? Did you take an extra five minutes and savor that coffee smell of your first brewed coffee of the day? What was it that you were intentional about? So head over to the Facebook community group or drop us an email and let us know, or you can even drop a comment on the app or whatever that you watch or listen to this on right. Kareis, can you do that? Can you do a comment?
Speaker 1:Actually, yes, you can on some of them, not all of them, but yeah, like she said, you can always email us, though, and make sure to tune in next week, because we may have a little slight surprise on there about another way you guys will be able to connect with us, but I'll leave that suspense until next week. Okay, I'm done sharing.
Speaker 2:So, with all of that said, have a great rest of your week and we will come back next week.
