If I were independently wealthy, I would purchase lake, beach, and mountains houses for use by my family and friends and I would invite teachers, social workers, and persons in the ministry to use the houses for either super cheap or free. I would also hire a counselor to offer super cheap or free counseling sessions to teachers, and I would hire a massage therapist to do the same. Teachers, social workers, and persons in the ministry are notorious for selflessly giving themselves to others while doing very little for their own bodies and souls. I’d like to see that change. If only I were independently wealthy…
Whether she meant to or not, Boss once let me know that I was wealthy enough to provide myself with one monthly luxury: a massage. I remember her telling me that she was a member at Massage Envy. She said that with as much driving as she did and the stress that she carried, she needed it. She liked the flexibility of the franchise. She felt that the monthly membership was a good deal. And she felt that taking care of her body was something God-honoring.
So I joined, too.
I did well at scheduling and keeping monthly my massage appointments for most of my time in South Carolina. I saw a few different massage therapists and enjoyed talking with them while they loosened the tension in my body.
During one particular massage with a non-Christian massage therapist, as I was talking through a breakout session on compassion that I was scheduled to lead the next day, I admitted that I have trouble having compassion on people who intentionally hurt and judgmentally damn other people. I confessed that I don't understand how God can be okay with this and then I heard a statement that I’ve remembered ever since:
"Maybe God has compassion on them."
Maybe God has compassion on them—on each of us, really—in the same way that I have compassion on my students who come from horrible home lives and act out of the only brokenness they know. Maybe God believes in each of our abilities to rise above our limitations and shortcomings and maybe that belief is God’s ultimate compassion.
After work today, I called my local-ish Massage Envy to see if they had any appointments available tonight. They did. As I lay on the table feeling today’s massage therapist work out the kinks and knots that have becoming increasingly more painful in the past few months, I had to make myself relax. I found my thoughts wandering back and forth between things I need to do, people for whom I desired to pray, and this line from a Sara Groves song:
“I’ve remembered the body and the mind but dissected the soul.”
I love this line. I love that it sings of the importance of a holistic approach to life. I’m mindful of it every time I get a massage, and I’m mindful that, for me, the line should read, “I’ve remembered the soul and the mind but neglected the body.”
I decided today that I’m going to attempt to be more intentional about not neglecting the body, mind, or soul. And I’m going to do this by making an effort to actually use the monthly Massage Envy membership that Boss encouraged me to get. I don’t make a lot of money and I can’t afford to buy vacation homes—but I can afford this. Thanks, Boss, for helping me realize that sometimes there are things we can’t afford not to do.
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