Take Care to Take Care - By Adam Paul

Batman. I mean, hands down one of the coolest characters ever created. Some would argue he’s the greatest superhero of all time (they are obviously mistaken, Superman is the OG). But if you’ve been reading some of the more recent Batman comics, you’ll know that ol’ Brucie’s not doing so hot these days.

It all kinda started when his bride to be, Selina Kyle (better known to some as Catwoman) left him at the alter. What had, to that point, been something of an upward trend for the Dark Knight suddenly took a hard pivot into the awful and the poor guy has not been able to catch a break since.

Now, sure, some of these things have been factors well outside of his control. Like being trapped thousands of miles away while Bane killed Alfred, his belov'd mentor and adoptive father. Or having Penguin fake his own death and framing him for it triggering a robotic failsafe that Batman had, unbeknownst even to himself, designed to stop himself were he ever to violate his own code and go to far.

But some of Batman’s issues, frankly a lot of them, is because he stubbornly refuses to take proper care of himself. Sure, it’s admirable that he is so dedicated to his mission to end crime in Gotham that he pushes past adversity. Such moments can be inspiring! But since losing Alfred, Bruce has just refused to take a breath, pushing through horrific, traumatizing event after terrifying near-death experience (including a masterfully written and drawn scene of Batman being peak Batman and surviving a free fall from orbit. No, really. It’s awesome! Batman #130, check it out), and barely taking so much as a nap in between.

This proves to have dire consequences, leading to him missing things, slipping up, and even his own subconscious becoming one of the most dangerous villains he’s ever faced. Where am I going with all of this? Well, it’s pretty simple, actually. Take care of yourself!

You, like me, made read passages like Philippians 2:3-4 and see things like “Don’t look only to your own interests” or “Esteem others more significant than yourself” and thinks “Yeah, that tracks. I’m not really worth looking after anyway, so I’m just gonna run myself ragged looking out for other people only all the time.” You’ll even then be able to point to it and say “What I’m doing is good and right! Not only is it Biblical, but it’s also like Batman! I’m a superhero and a good Christian!”

But read Philippians again and take note of what it actually says. It does not say “Don’t look after your interests.” Nor does it say “do not have self-esteem.” It’s the opposite. Your interests, your wants and needs, your health, these things are all important! You are God’s creation, made in His image, you ought to have esteem for yourself! Just consider others in an even higher esteem, and look to their interests even more highly than your own. You can’t take care of others if you’re not taking care of yourself.

Let me challenge you with this: do you esteem others more than yourself? If no, what are some steps you can take to shift your perspective there? If yes, are you letting that esteem build up beyond an already positive sense of self? Or are you using it as a justification to run yourself ragged and not take care of yourself properly?