Chapter 12—Personal Health
Stress
Ministry is exhausting work—If a minister, during his leisure
time, engages in labor in his orchard or garden, shall he deduct that
time from his salary? Certainly not, any more than he should put in his
time when he is called to work over hours in ministerial labor. Some
ministers spend many hours in apparent ease, and it is right that they
should rest when they can; for the system could not endure the heavy
strain were there no time for letting up. There are hours in the day
that call for severe taxation, for which the minister receives no extra
salary, and if he chooses to chop wood several hours a day, or work
in his garden, it is as much his privilege to do this as to preach. A
minister cannot always be preaching and visiting, for this is exhaustive
work.—
Evangelism, 660
.
Rest may be the answer to mental depression—You should la-
bor with care and observe periods of rest. By so doing you will retain
your physical and mental vigor and render your labor much more effi-
cient. Brother F, you are a nervous man and move much from impulse.
Mental depression influences your labor very much. At times you
feel a want of freedom and think it is because others are in darkness
or wrong or that something is the matter, you can hardly tell what,
and you make a drive somewhere and upon somebody which is liable
to do great harm. If you would quiet yourself when in this restless,
nervous condition and rest and calmly wait on God and inquire if the
trouble is not in yourself, you would save wounding your own soul and
wounding the precious cause of God.—
Testimonies for the Church
1:622
.
Provision should be made to care for ministers who, through
overwork in His cause, have become ill—Some provision should be
made for the care of ministers and others of God’s faithful servants
who through exposure or overwork in His cause have become ill and
need rest and restoration, or who through age or loss of health are no
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