I had a friend named Johnny. He was a great youth pastor and made sure that he sacrificed for his students. The problem with this was he never really care for himself or his family. He would often spend long hours at the church and sometimes fall asleep there. He gained a lot of weight and you could tell he didn't take care of himself. He then would go and hangout with the youth outside of youth group. He would go to every event and it wore on him. You could see it in his sermons and in his face. He was tiered and burnt out. He eventually resigned from his position so he could spend time with his family.
My other friend Larry exhibited great self care and it really showed. He made sure that his job didn't interfere with his family. He and his wife sacrificed a lot for the youth group but they made sure they had time with each other. He spent his time at the church, in meetings, with youth, but he always made sure he had time at home. The youth group flourished and it grew from about 30 teens to 120 in about 3 years.
What I learned from this is that even though teaching and preaching may be what you are called to do but make sure you separate your time at the church and your time at home. You need to relax and if you have a wife and a family, make sure that they are taken care of too. Do not neglect them because you have committed to them too.
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