Modern society has deemed the centuries-old concept of self-discipline as legalistic and restrictive, and tried to replace it with the softer idea of self-care. But there’s a catch. What is often advertised as self-care can actually pull you away from what is better care. Self-care sounds gentle and innocent, but it’s a slippery slope that can hurt your faith-life if you don’t keep your eye on it.

Examine the list below and notice the subtle differences. The self-care ideas may not be so bad in the short term or when occasionally utilized. But if you’re looking for true rest and best, the self-discipline ideas (also known as spiritual disciplines) are where better care can be found:

Compare Self-Care to Self-Discipline

• Get out and have some fun. (self-care)
• Have some fun using your spiritual gifting, which brings God glory and gives you the greatest fulfillment you will ever know. (self-discipline)

• Give your mind a break from all the over-thinking, worry, and stress and distract yourself for a while by watching a show, playing a video game, or scrolling on your phone. (self-care)
• Give your mind the most excellent tools to address any over-thinking, worry, and stress by memorizing the truths of God, storing them in your brain, and practice trusting in them. (self-discipline)

• Google best ways to make a decision and follow the example of anyone who inspires you. (self-care)
• Pray as you consider how to make a decision and wait for the Holy Spirit to guide you into His good and pleasing will for you. (self-discipline)

• Indulge in tempting treats that make you feel soothed and comforted. (self-care)
• When you face daily tempting scenarios, think about your values and long-term goals, pray, seek godly accountability, and track your progress. (self-discipline)

• Don’t waste your time with anyone who hasn’t offered confession for the way they’ve let you down. (self-care)
• Schedule regular confession between you and Jesus, so that you become more and more acquainted with your sinful ways and can increase your humility and grace for dealing with the variety of people in your life. (self-discipline)

• Journal all your thoughts and feelings, reread them, share them online, and let them make a statement about what you believe.  Repeat as your beliefs evolve. (self-care)
• Journal Scriptural responses to your thoughts and feelings, reread them, share them with trusted mentors and peers, and let His never-changing Truth make a statement about what is accurate for you to consistently believe. (self-discipline)

• Exercise and choose a diet that makes you feel good, confident, strong, and/or sexy. (self-care)
• Exercise and choose a diet that gives you the clearest mind, most energy, and best health for living out His purpose for your life/building His Kingdom. (self-discipline)

• Follow the right people on social media and closely monitor posts and notifications so that you won’t have the stress of feeling like you’re missing out. (self-care)
• Be sure to follow people on social media who lead you to follow the only One who can ever satisfy and who even encourage you to take breaks from viewing their posts. (self-discipline)

• Plan a vacation to get away from it all. (self-care)
• Plan a half-day retreat with your Bible, journal, prayer list, worship music, hiking boots, notifications turned off, etc. (self-discipline)

• Spend regular time with people who validate your struggles and make you feel good about yourself. (self-care)
• Spend regular time with members of the Body of Christ so that you can be lovingly admonished, taught how to suffer, and given restorative care in order to endure the path set before you. (self-discipline)

• Download the “Calm” app to experience being present and relaxed. (self-care)
• Take time-outs from your phone (especially in the fellowship of others who encourage and motivate you) in order to experience being present and to demonstrate that you can be separated from your phone for significant amounts of time of your choosing. (self-discipline)

• Take advantage of sleeping whenever you can. (self-care)
• Don’t automatically indulge yourself with sleeping just because you’re weary or stressed. Consider what is really most needed at the time. (self-discipline)

• Create a perfect space in your room where you can put your feet up and escape from all your cares and concerns. (self-care)
• Create a perfect space in your room where you can meet with your Lord each day. (self-discipline)

• Daydream. (self-care)
• Daydream. Then ask the Father to give you the desires of your heart or change the desires of your heart to match His will for your life. (self-discipline)

• Establish Sunday as your day to not have to get dressed or leave the house. (self-care)
• Establish Sunday as your day to attend corporate worship, be quiet, reflect, pray, journal, read a book, meet with your mentor, etc. in order to reset for the following week. (self-discipline)

• Make a list of all the fun things you see others doing that you want to try. (self-care)
• Make a list of all the things you are thankful for, all the verses about peace, all the Psalms about depression, all the people you want to pray for, etc. (self-discipline)

• Go out in nature and activate your senses. (self-care)
• Go out in nature, activate your senses, and expect the Creator to reveal Himself to you. (self-discipline)

• Choose the activity that sounds like what you most want to do (such as hot baths, playing golf, getting your nails done, having a beer with friends, etc.) and treat yourself as needed. (self-care)
• Choose the activity that sounds like what you least want to do but know will actually help you grow (such as setting your alarm to get up and study a Bible lesson or listening to a sermon podcast while driving, etc.) and enact for yourself as needed. (self-discipline)

Come to me…you will find rest for your souls. (Mt. 11:28, 29)