Caring for Yourself While Serving God and Othersናሙና

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Nowadays, it’s not uncommon for people actively involved in ministry to be on the edge of burnout. How are we supposed to serve others while caring for ourselves selflessly?

Sometimes, the world’s problems seem too overwhelming. But Jesus isn’t asking us to meet everyone’s needs. Only God can do that.

The reality is that God doesn’t need us. Rather, He allows us to partner with Him to serve a hurting world.

But it’s an opportunity — not an obligation.

Like the Good Samaritan, we should be perceptive to the needs around us and ask the Lord how He wants to demonstrate His compassion through us to those who are hurting.

As we partner with God, we should also allow Him to restore and replenish us continually.

What really matters to God, more than anything you can do or offer Him, is simply and beautifully you.

Application

• If you can be intentional about giving yourself quick checkups throughout the year, you are more likely to make corrections before issues escalate into bigger problems. Create your own “spiritual wellness questions” list using the examples below as inspiration.
  • Am I taking care of myself?
  • What is my spiritual temperature lately?
  • What am I holding on to?
  • Am I happy and content?
  • How am I defining success?
  • Am I leading with kindness?
  • What am I worried about?
• Choose one day each month to prayerfully review and honestly answer the questions.
• If you find it easy to have compassion for others but challenging to have compassion for yourself, consider finding a trusted accountability partner (or professional counselor) who can help you identify strategies to practice self-care regularly.