Issue #429, August 12, 2026
Much of serving leadership is about others. It’s about meeting their needs, serving them, developing them, equipping them, encouraging them. But before leaders can take care of others, they must take care of themselves! In this series we’ll reflect on the advice Paul gave to Timothy about the need to take care of himself.
Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers (1 Timothy 4:16, NIV).
Paul challenges Timothy to watch his life and doctrine closely. It is a call to pay close attention to himself. Self-care is not selfish! Selfishness makes the leader’s needs the goal; self-care attends to the needs of the leader so they can fulfill their calling. What does self-care have to do with our leadership?
Taking care of yourself is an initial act of leadership.
Long before airplanes instructed passengers to put on their own oxygen mask before assisting others Paul told Timothy to “watch your life…” Before watching others, leaders need to watch themselves. Before caring for others, leaders need to take care of themselves. Before teaching others, they need to take a close look at their own doctrine. This is not a selfish act; it is a necessary part of ensuring that we are ready and able to help others.
Some leaders feel guilty when they focus on themselves or take time to attend to their own needs. But serving leaders recognize that the first act of service is being ready and able to serve. They take care of themselves first.
Taking care of yourself is an intentional act of leadership.
Both “watch” and “closely” imply focused intentionality. Perhaps Paul recognized that the demands of leadership could quickly become the focus of Timothy’s actions and he warned him to be intentional about caring for himself. This act of leadership will not happen by accident. The needs of others are often more apparent to us than our own needs.
Some leaders become so engrossed in calling for action, producing outcomes, and reaching goals that they fail to stop and look at how they are doing. But serving leaders intentionally make sure they take good care of themselves so that they are able to care for others.
Taking care of yourself is an impactful act of leadership.
Paul concludes this exhortation by observing that if Timothy will take care of himself, it would “save both yourself and your hearers.” His point goes beyond what we are calling self-care, but the principle is clear: how leaders care for their own lives impacts those they lead. The attention to caring for self would impact Timothy and those he was leading. Effective self-care is impactful leadership. Leaders who are action-oriented and focused on a mission can easily assume that some shortcuts here and there on how they care for themselves won’t impact their leadership effectiveness. They neglect their own physical, emotional and spiritual needs. And for a time, they may appear to succeed. But in the long term, they—and those who follow—will pay for their neglect.
Some leaders assume that they can care for others even when there are gaps in how they care for themselves. But serving leaders recognize that the best gift they can give those they serve is a strong, healthy leader. They recognize that they cannot continue drawing from an empty well. They are better leaders because they care for themselves.
For further reflection and discussion:
As I focus on the needs of others, how well do I pay attention to my own needs? How does this impact my leadership?
In what way(s) am I intentional about ensuring that I am taking care of myself? What am I doing about my physical condition? My emotional health? My spiritual depth? My own growth?
Are there ways that I have been neglecting self-care, believing that it would not impact those who follow me? What steps do I need to take to change?
What additional insights about the need for self-care do I gain from the following passages? 1 Samuel 30:6, Matthew 7:3-5, Luke 5:15–16, Acts 20:28, Galatians 6:1
Until next time, yours on the journey,
Jon Byler
In the next issue, we’ll look at the need to care for our soul.