"Take care of yourself first"

That's the advice often given to moms these days. I don't always agree with it.

It the advice is merely to live one's life in such a way as to stay healthy and fit, well... of course. Unfortunately, it often means something else entirely--something which can look a lot like the selfishness we humans so easily slip into and rationalize.

Consider what Jesus said, "Unless a seed falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed." And, "Greater love has no man that this: that he lay down his life for his neighbor." In fact, isn't the whole message of the Bible to love and give and serve without thought for our own needs, let alone making sure that we 'take care of ourselves first?'