Hey friends,

On today’s episode of the Anchored by the Sword Podcast, I’m joined by Ben Espinoza, pastor, author, husband, and dad, to talk about his brand new book:

📖 Good News About Self-Care: How Nurturing Your Soul, Your Self, and Your Sanity Honors God

And let’s be honest… “self-care” is one of those phrases that gets thrown around a lot.

For some people it means bubble baths, manicures, and getting away for the weekend.

And while there is absolutely nothing wrong with those things, this conversation goes so much deeper.

Ben shares his own story of hitting a wall during the pandemic while juggling a major job transition, family responsibilities, stress, anxiety, lack of sleep, and the weight of everything happening in the world at the time. What started as physical symptoms eventually led him to realize something important:

He didn’t really know how to care for himself in a healthy, God-honoring way.

In this episode, we talk about:

• How stress can show up physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually

• Why so many of us have learned how to achieve, but not how to steward ourselves

• What self-care looks like from a Biblical perspective

• Why caring for yourself is not selfish

• The importance of Sabbath, solitude, rest, play, and healthy relationships

• Why God has given us tools like therapy, counseling, community, and medication when needed

• How putting God first realigns everything else

• Why true self-care starts with our relationship with the Lord

One of the biggest takeaways from this episode is this:

If we are made in the image of God, then caring for ourselves well is part of honoring the God who made us.

Ben does such a great job reminding us that biblical self-care is not just about escaping life for a minute. It’s about learning how to live in a healthy rhythm with God, with ourselves, with other people, and with the world around us.

We also talk about how easy it is to get caught in hustle mode, productivity mode, and survival mode—and how quickly everything feels off when God is no longer at the center.

This is such an important conversation, especially for those of us who are used to taking care of everyone else while quietly running ourselves into the ground.

Friend, rest is not weakness.
Healing is not failure.
And taking care of yourself is not selfish when it is done God’s way.

Bio:

Benjamin D. Espinoza is passionate about developing the next generation of leaders for the church and society. He currently serves as lead pastor of Avon Wesleyan Church in Avon, New York and previously served in a number of executive-level roles at Roberts Wesleyan University in Rochester, New York. An ordained Wesleyan minister, Ben regularly consults with leaders and organizations in the areas of diversity and belonging, organizational structure, and management.

Espinoza is married to Hannah, who is much smarter than he, and they are the proud parents of two small but energetic boys.

Anchor Verse:

Acts 20:24

Connect with Ben:

Website: https://benespinoza.com

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Benjamin D. Espinoza: books, biography, latest update

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