Gospel Message Day 276

Another Random Thought

I once had a lesson about paying yourself first. It went along the lines of one is not able to lift another to higher ground unless they are on higher ground themselves. Some times you need to pay yourself first--give yourself the attention needed to take care of yourself so that you are well enough to then take care of others. And by caring, I mean mentally and emotionally as well as physically.

While I know the importance of paying myself first, I often forget to actually do so. Today I was able to remember. The problem with me is I often feel guilty when I attend to that, because I feel like I'm being lazy and not helping where I should. I frequently have to remind myself that my service to others by that point has started to lag. My energy has depleted and I am running on fumes. Service fueled by fumes is not effective, so we should never feel guilty when we have to take the time to refuel.

Today was a day of refueling. The guilt wanted to come in, but I told myself to ignore it. The refueling was necessary. And how rejuvenated and clear and at peace I felt after a few hours of my refueling--that is a testament to the importance of paying yourself first. Just don't let it get to the point of pay yourself only or pay yourself more than others. Selfishness is not recharging.