I'm a Climbing Arborist by trade. If I didn't have that once a week getaway in the trees with my crew, I can't imagine I could be ok the rest of the week of ministry...
I’m sure a lot of other Pastors can relate. I used to be in ministry and burned myself and my family out by sacrificing our time together, our livelihood and even our financial well-being at the expense of a corrupt church/cult, who we later found out, only wanted us there for our money and muscle. They didn’t care for our souls one bit, and I, at the time, didn’t care nearly enough about myself, my wife or my family and even now we’re still suffering some of the consequences of our “misplaced sacrifices” for the church. So yes, please take time to care for yourself, this is very important! Do something that you enjoy and that brings you peace! You will not be any good to anyone else as a minister if you don’t! It’s not being selfish. Sometimes I think Pastor’s feel that they have to sacrifice every aspect of their life for the church or they will be judged by the church. This is not healthy for an individual to be subjected to nor is it God’s standard. I’ve heard so many out-of-context sermons preached on how we’re all to “sacrifice” our lives for the church and so on. Yeah, you’ll sacrifice alright… you may lose your home, your family, your marriage could end in divorce and your health/mental health may be compromised. So much is at stake, to simply not make time for your own well-being. Please take this message seriously!
I'm a Climbing Arborist by trade. If I didn't have that once a week getaway in the trees with my crew, I can't imagine I could be ok the rest of the week of ministry...
I’m sure a lot of other Pastors can relate. I used to be in ministry and burned myself and my family out by sacrificing our time together, our livelihood and even our financial well-being at the expense of a corrupt church/cult, who we later found out, only wanted us there for our money and muscle. They didn’t care for our souls one bit, and I, at the time, didn’t care nearly enough about myself, my wife or my family and even now we’re still suffering some of the consequences of our “misplaced sacrifices” for the church. So yes, please take time to care for yourself, this is very important! Do something that you enjoy and that brings you peace! You will not be any good to anyone else as a minister if you don’t! It’s not being selfish. Sometimes I think Pastor’s feel that they have to sacrifice every aspect of their life for the church or they will be judged by the church. This is not healthy for an individual to be subjected to nor is it God’s standard. I’ve heard so many out-of-context sermons preached on how we’re all to “sacrifice” our lives for the church and so on. Yeah, you’ll sacrifice alright… you may lose your home, your family, your marriage could end in divorce and your health/mental health may be compromised. So much is at stake, to simply not make time for your own well-being. Please take this message seriously!