This post is part of a series on self-care from the perspective of self-care in Christ. How do I care for the person who God says I am?
We have redemption, the forgiveness of sins, in Him.
I am redeemed by the Lord. Man, that has a ring to it. But, what does it actually mean?
Merriam-Webster defines redeemed this way:
redeem
verb
re·deem | \ ri-ˈdēm \
redeemed; redeeming; redeems
1: to buy back : REPURCHASE;to get or win back
2: to free from what distresses or harms: such as:to free from captivity by payment of ransom; to extricate from or help to overcome something detrimental; to release from blame or debt : CLEAR; to free from the consequences of sin
3: to change for the better : REFORM
4: REPAIR, RESTORE
5: to free from a lien by payment of an amount secured thereby; to exchange for something of value redeem trading stamps;to make good : FULFILL
6:to atone for : EXPIATE redeem an error; to offset the bad effect of;to make worthwhile : RETRIEVE
There are so many words here that tell us more about Jesus and who He is.
1: Jesus has won you. The battle has already been fought for you – for everyone – whether we accept it already or not. The victory is won. (1 Corinthians 15:57)
2: We are free from harm when we rest in the Lord. This world gives us some trouble and feels like it can harm us (John 16:33), but He has already overcome the world. His love for us that placed Him on the cross paid the ransom for our sin.
3: We are changed for good! We are reformed – a new creation! (2 Corinthians 5:17) We are not made perfect yet, but when we accept Jesus we become a new creation in Christ.
4: He fixes the broken. He heals the sick. He restores our souls to Him. (1 Peter 5:10)
5: The wages of sin is death however, but the wages have been covered – its been made good, fulfilled. (Romans 6:23)
6: God has always provided a way for atonement – beginning with priests in the temple and making it complete and permanent with Jesus. We have been made worthwhile. We have been retrieved from the punishment of our own sins through the death of the Perfect Lamb.
We have all been redeemed through the blood of Christ, but Jesus always takes it a step further and makes things personal. While I know that my redemption in Heaven awaits me, He gives me glimpses of redemption here on earth.
For the sake of time, I won’t give you all of the details here, but I should not be alive, much less, running a podcast about Jesus, in a happy marriage, while mothering the most adorable little boy in a beautiful home. I don’t deserve the salvation that awaits me in Heaven, but I don’t even deserve the life I am living today. I made all the wrong choices when I was younger that should have some harsh earthly consequences. I don’t deserve to live a life as neat and tidy as mine. And yet, Jesus has found it suitable for me to do so for now. He has redeemed and restored the inner most parts of my heart that I tried to give away for years as a young woman. He has counted every tear and heard every prayer and many times said yes to me when I deserved an emphatic no.
Hasn’t He done that for all of us? None of us deserve a single act of grace and kindness from the most powerful and perfect Creator of all, God Almighty.
And yet…he blesses us again and again.
That’s my Jesus. That’s my Redeemer.
So, what does self-care look like for someone who has been redeemed? Redemption implies value. If I have been redeemed by God, then I must have great value. In Christ, I am worth more than any jewel (Proverbs 3:15).
My most valuable jewelry is always protected. I would never leave it in a place where it would be vulnerable to theft or damage. I have to treat my redeemed self with the same respect. I cannot leave myself in a position to be damaged. If I know that I am being mistreated or taken advantage of, I should speak up and say no. If I know a certain movie or venue will cause me to stumble, I should avoid it. If I know a certain person will remind me of my past sins and failings when I am around them, I should avoid that person and leave those things in the past. That is self-care.
Protect yourself – you are worth more than rubies!
