Leaders are accountable to seek God for counsel concerning his people. We need his guidance as we walk beside others through their flourishing, their struggles, and their triumphs. But we can never forget our own spiritual health. We must remember to cherish our relationship with God and rely upon him to nourish and sustain us.

Spiritual growth is never easy and rarely happens quickly. It's the slow process of maturing and becoming attuned to the order of Jesus' life, cultivating a vital relationship with him, a steadfast care for his word, and a trust in his faithfulness, even through unpleasant circumstances. I find it impossible to encourage anyone to do so apart from utter dependence on him for my life. Experiencing the Lord's goodness during the day and the night—in pain and pleasure—is, I find, the key. Our ministry to others flows from what he's doing on a continual basis in our own hearts. We can pour ourselves into the lives of other when we are secure in the fact that ...