If God dwells in us, what we do with our bodies matters—to him as well as to us……
Ministry pulls us in many directions. We pick up the phone on our day off to help the parishioner in crisis. We put the kids to bed and then stay up past midnight to craft our sermons. Despite our tendency to make to-do lists of tasks which could be accomplished only with the help of multiple assistants, God designed us to sleep. We can cheat this for short seasons, but if we routinely deny our bodies the rest they crave, we will pay. If you often fall asleep when you sit down to pray or read the Bible (moms with young children and folks over 70, skip to the next paragraph), struggle not to nod off in staff meetings or counseling sessions, or are regularly cranky (if you’re not sure on this one, ask someone who lives or works with you), it’s very possible that you need more sleep than what you are getting.
Leading and serving should not come at the cost of our own health and well-being. In order to complete the race that God has set before us, we need to value and prioritize caring for our temples. Others are both watching and following us; let’s lead them in such a way that we all reach the finish line.
To read the article in its entirety. please go to Gifted for Leadership.