It’s Sunday night! Time to gear up for a new week. As always, the best way to do that is to PUT ON THE ARMOR OF GOD (Ephesians 6:10-18) but we also will focus on ONE area to strengthen our walk with the Lord. Just one focus to help us grow a faith that cannot fade with the demands of life and the pressures of this world. This week we will focus on ME TIME!

Many people think it’s impossible to carve out alone time, but it doesn’t have to be. If you have young children at home, enlist a friend or family member to help with them for a couple of hours a week. If you don’t feel comfortable leaving the house, find a young teenager to play with the kids while you slip away for a bubble bath or to read that book that’s been on your nightstand for weeks.

If you work 60 hours a week and just want to come home and crash after work, just stop and treat yourself to something simple like an Icee after work.

One day I was tackling my long shopping list at WalMart when I passed by the toy aisle. How many times had I begged my parents for a toy when I was little, only to be told it wasn’t on the list? Well there I was, list in hand, and was old enough to decide that I could buy something that wasn’t on the list after all! I perused the toy aisles for about 15 minutes, settling on a new Barbie doll that ended up in the grandkids’ toy bin. (But not before I secretly played with her first!)

Groupon is also one of my favorite apps. I’ve gotten full body massages up to 90% off. A $10 massage is not a splurge; it’s an investment! I also bought a one-hour game play (think: virtual reality) at a nearby mall for $6. There’s nothing like good old-fashioned playing to rejuvenate your spirit!

If cheap outings are still not in the budget, free ones are! Parks, trails, libraries, lakes…there are an abundance of places to go for a little me time that don’t cost a dime.

We are better for others when we are good to ourselves and that starts with taking care of YOU!