“Jesus said, ‘Come off by yourselves; let's take a break and get a little rest.’ For there was constant coming and going. They didn't even have time to eat."—Mk. 6:31

I have often heard it preached, “Your priorities should be God, your family, and, last but not least, church.” But I now take umbrage with that statement. It is missing one important factor—yourself. If you don’t take care of yourself, you have nothing to offer your family or your church! So your priorities should be God, you, your family, and your church.

Jesus taught soul care—not selfish self-centeredness or off-balance narcissism. He taught balance in lifestyle, and the kind of balance He taught begins with what you do with yourself. For instance, he said, “You seek first the Kingdom of God…” (Matt 6:33). That is where all balance begins. When you personally seek first the kingdom of God, everything else has a way of coming together.

This means that we must keep our prayer life, devotional times in the Word, and our fellowship with others in the body of Christ consistent. These things, along with some clean fun times, keep our souls refreshed. Don’t fall apart at the seams because you took care of everyone else to the exclusion of yourself!