Top o’ the Mornin’ to Ya!
TLDR: Blessing yourself isn’t selfish – it’s the foundation that enables you to value and bless others at an even higher level.
What?
Growing up as a younger Christian, I completely misunderstood what it meant to “bless yourself.” When I read Philippians telling us to value others greater than ourselves, I heard it wrong. Instead of understanding it as blessing and loving others more, I thought it meant I should devalue myself. I heard “I am less” and “I need to belittle myself and be less.” But that’s not what Scripture says at all! It says value others greater than yourself – which means you need to have a high value of yourself first, then value others even higher than that high level.
Why?
I’m addressing this because too many Christian men are running on empty, thinking self-care is selfish, believing that neglecting themselves somehow honors God. But you can’t pour from an empty cup. You can’t give what you don’t have. When you’re depleted, exhausted, and broken down, you have nothing of value to offer others. The Kingdom Family Leader path starts with blessing yourself as the first pillar because everything else builds on this foundation. If we don’t take care of ourselves – mind, body, soul, and spirit – we limit our capacity to serve God’s kingdom and lead our families effectively.
Lesson:
The biblical principle here is profound: “Love your neighbor as yourself” assumes you actually love yourself. You can’t love your neighbor properly if you hate or neglect yourself. Blessing yourself means taking care of four essential areas. First, your mind – through learning and application of knowledge. Second, your body – through proper fuel (nutrition) and fitness. Third, your soul – through being present, discerning, and growing in your being rather than just doing. Fourth, your spirit – maintaining your connection with the Three-in-One God and with your spouse, that permanent partner you’ve chosen for eternity. This is the armor level of blessing yourself, the foundation everything else builds upon. When you bless yourself to a high level and then value others even greater than that, you’re giving them an extraordinarily high level of blessing. You’re not diminishing yourself; you’re establishing a strong foundation from which to love and serve powerfully. This isn’t about pride or selfishness – it’s about stewardship of the vessel God has given you to serve His kingdom.
Apply:
Today, assess yourself in the four areas of self-blessing. Rate each from 1-10: Mind (learning/growth), Body (nutrition/fitness), Soul (presence/discernment), Spirit (connection with God/self/spouse). Identify your lowest score and commit to one specific action this week to improve it. Write it down now and schedule it in your calendar.
You be blessed!
