Fourteen Days of Love
My Friend,
One of my favorite parts of our weekend retreats for women, is when our team of leaders prepares foot soaks for the moms. Many moms say it’s been forever since they just sat and soaked their feet and they get a little giddy as we prepare the warm water with Epson salts. I like to light some candles and turn on music to create an atmosphere to relax. Once our moms feet have soaked, then we as leaders get to rub lotion on their feet, and pray for them as they lean back and relax. I wish I could prepare a foot soak for you today, and rub lotion on your feet. You deserve to be cared for.
In each group of women, there is at least one who holds back and says they don’t do feet. Maybe they feel like their feet look odd, or they are worried we will judge them if their feet are rough. The process of taking off their shoes and letting people see their feet and then having them touched and rubbed can seem really uncomfortable. Many of the moms who at first were standoffish, ended up asking for a foot soak after they saw how enjoyable it was for the others. They took down their walls a little as they began to trust us to not judge. I admit having my feet cared for was an odd thing for me to experience at first, and I struggled to allow others to love on me. I’m so glad I pushed past my feeling of being uncomfortable and said, “Yes.”
Have you taken off your shoes? Do you fear if people really see you and know what’s going on in your home, they will shun you? Maybe some people have done just that. I implore you friend, don’t wall yourself off because some people made you feel judged and unworthy. Chose to believe there are caring people in your community, and allow yourself to be loved by others.
Allow yourself to be loved by you, and by your Creator.
This is one of my favorites to meditate on when I’m worn out, and emotionally and physically exhausted. Jesus is inviting us to come to Him. He says, “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Matthew 11:28-30 The Message
Your friend,
Grace
Day #7 Love Adventure
2/7/19 Today’s love adventure is to practice self-care to love yourself. Do you have a big bowl or plastic tub you can fill with warm water? Get a bag of Epson Salts from Dollar General and pamper yourself. If you have a bathtub, you can fill it up and take a long bath before bed tonight. Relax and breath deeply. Put soft music on and focus your thoughts on things you can be grateful for.
Pamper yourself. Soak your feet when you get home from work, and put lotion on them. Or take a hot bath with bubbles or a bath bomb in your bath water! As you relax, think about what you have to be grateful for.
Reinvent: The goal is to do self-care, so if soaking your feet isn’t something that you would enjoy, do your own thing. Don’t feel trapped by my suggestion, but choose what will help you relax and feel recharged. Take care of you, my friend!
