Know Yourself

Yesterday I wrote about Anna Say coming through cancer. One lesson she had leant was: ‘Listen to your body because it will be your best friend and it will let you know when something is wrong…’

Yesterday I read of Abbie Young, who describes having food-related issues at primary school and a negative body image and feeling overweight at secondary school. Trying out many diets led to a battle with alternate anorexia and binge eating… overwhelming misery, confusion, low self-esteem, lying…

Abbie eventually opened up to her sister who prayed for her and shared Jeus’ words about not worrying about what we eat or drink. This started her recovery.

She says: ‘I learned to listen to my body and began to understand that we have been given incredible bodies that are able to tell us when we are hungry and when we should stop eating.’

Anna and Abbie are learning the same lesson.

Socrates said: ‘To know thyself is the beginning of wisdom.’

When I first started teaching I spent many hours at school, was running many  miles each week and we were leading the church youth group. I wore myself out and made myself ill. I had to learn… know myself, pace myself.

Many years later, as a Headteacher, I was still learning that lesson. I had to be at my best in the last week of term. There would be school concerts, parents’ evenings and other public events. Teachers would be tired, certain children would be likely to ‘kick off’. I had to know myself – physically, mentally and spiritually – and pace myself.

…musing on Paul’s words: ‘Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgement.’…Knowing myself requires honesty and humility.

…musing on whether, if I am to obey Jesus’ instructions to love God, love my neighbour and love myself, I first have to know God, know my neighbour and know myself…