Put my mask on before helping my kids? No way. A mother puts her children first. A good Christian puts others ahead of herself. A captain goes down with the ship. So that mask can just dangle there until everyone else is taken care of.
But after more careful thought—and, I have to add, more life experience—I now see why we're told to put our mask on first. The simple truth is that people who run out of oxygen and pass out aren't much help to anyone. Period.
That sounds obvious, yet we tend to assume it won't happen to us. We'll be fine! Right up until we get lightheaded and end up on the floor. We may be doing what we believe is right, sacrificing to help someone else, while quietly running lower and lower on oxygen—growing weaker and less capable until, before we know it, we're both in trouble.
So today I want to offer you this vital encouragement: put your own oxygen mask on first. And not only on a plane! If you genuinely want to help others, if you want to be used by God, you need the breath, energy, and strength to actually do it.
Outside an airplane, that means making it a priority to care for ourselves spiritually, emotionally, and physically. It means taking the time—and sometimes that means taking time away from helping others. In everyday life, that oxygen mask is God's Word. We draw our strength directly from him, filling up on the truth of the Bible and letting God's Holy Spirit guide and direct us. We need to plug in regularly, for our own sake and for the sake of everyone around us.
John 15:5 says, "You are the vine…apart from you, I can do nothing." We may know that verse, but do we live it? I can get so busy doing that I stop simply being—and amid everything life demands of me in this moment, it's far too easy to lose the value of sitting in God's presence and becoming the person he wants me to be.
Parents—put your own mask on first. You may have felt as I did, that this is backward and selfish, but your children need a healthy you. They deserve your strength, your patience, and your love at full force.
Leaders—put your own mask on first. I've been there: working so hard to set a good example, trying to have every answer, and leading with vision and creativity until I was completely spent. Feed yourself intellectually and spiritually so you're equipped to lead others well.
Caregivers—put your own mask on first. You can't be so depleted that you're no longer able to serve the people who depend on you.
Jeremiah 17:7-8 says we are blessed when we trust in the Lord. We become like a tree planted by a stream, roots growing deep, bearing good fruit in season. When I'm overcommitted or overworking, my trust has quietly shifted to myself. I need to draw that refreshment from God and make sure my roots go deep. People who burn out or live exhausted have little of value left to give.
Give yourself permission to lie beside that stream and delight in God's wonder. We all need rest. We need margin in our lives. We need to laugh and dream. Doing this is as much for the good of others as it is for ourselves. It's healthy, it's scriptural, and God promises that doing this will help us bear good fruit.
Your physical health, mental health, and spiritual health matter. They matter to God, and they should matter to you. You need to feed yourself well. What you take in, and how you nourish each of these areas, provides the fuel you need—along with the longevity required to keep doing it for a long time.
So, like a good flight attendant, I encourage you to put on your own mask before helping others. Push back against the misconceptions telling you otherwise, and fuel up to do everything God has planned for you!
– love, Ginger
