Who Is Worth Her Own Attention

Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.

I HAVE SAT AND THOUGHT AND SEARCHED and prayed and asked Jesus to help me remember the last time I took time just for myself. And this is the truth I have come to: There isn’t one.

I can’t point to a girls’ trip or a weekend at the spa. I can’t point to a time when I shopped a little longer for myself just because. I’m in a season of going and doing and always being the point person. My momma and I also run a worldwide ministry from our living rooms. We have one part-time employee who helps us virtually from out of state. We feel privileged to speak into the lives of so many mommas. Even so, the honest truth remains: Life in this season is nuts.

I can’t hop in my car and take off to a vacation spot for a few days on my own. I don’t take time for personal beauty treatments or brunches with friends. Once in a while, I stop at the local diner for a Coke in between meetings. Sometimes, friend, that’s all the “me time” I get.

Can you relate? Jesus certainly could. Luke reminds us that He “often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” He was continually surrounded by people who needed Him. They needed His healing, His wisdom, and His intervention in the areas they couldn’t fix on their own. They needed Him for food, strength, and even peace in the middle of a storm in a sinking boat. They needed Him to be God—and so do you.

We are not the saviors of our story. We are not the saviors of our families. You show Jesus to those you love by pouring out your life with the endless sacrificial love He modeled. But even Jesus knew the importance of withdrawing to be with His Father away from the crowds, and He was God.

Friend, if the Son of God needed to take time to be by Himself to pray, what does that say about us? How much more do we need to separate ourselves from everything and take time to be in His presence? There is nothing wrong with having a spa day or a girls’ night out; in fact, those can be so rejuvenating. But true refreshment comes from spending precious time with the Lord, even in the middle of all that’s happening around us. We can be alone with Him even when we don’t get a physical break from those who need us.

Momma, you are worth taking care of. You are worthy of time to focus on your heart and mind. If no one has offered you this encouragement recently, let me say it: You deserve peace. Let’s pray and ask the Lord to help us find space in our busy schedules to breathe.

Tonight we pray for the momma who needs to remember that she is worth her own attention. There are so many people who count on her. There are so many people whom she cares for. Lord, remind her that in order to care for others, she needs to pour from a full cup. Whisper to her heart that she is worthy of love, joy, peace, and time just for her. Help her find moments to herself, and then meet her in them.

We ask in Jesus’s name, amen.

Father, please help me find time to . . .