I ask this as a pastor myself who struggles with getting away because I feel so needed.
Pastors and all full-time ministers have a great amount of pressure on them at all times. The work of the ministry is not something that you leave at the office; it comes home with you.
If you study the Bible, Jesus along with his apostles, took time to get away from the ministry to pray and relax. The following scriptures give an account of the instructions Jesus gave to His apostles after they returned from a ministry trip. You can clearly see that He encouraged them to take time to rest.
Then the apostles gathered to Jesus and told Him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught. And He said to them, "Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while." For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat. So they departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves.There are times when ministers need to rest and spend quality time with their families. I make it a point to take one day a week off, get away with my wife several times a year, and take a yearly vacation with my wife and my children. I have noticed that a minister who is too busy to schedule time off is doing more than the Lord wants him to and will run the risk of what is commonly called "burn out." A minister who is suffering from "burn out" will be ineffectual in the ministry and at home.
(Mark 6:30-32 NKJV)
God has equipped many men and women in each church with the express purpose of helping the pastor. The pastor who is too busy to take a break probably needs to delegate some of what he is doing (see Ex. 18:13-23). If you want a healthy body, mind, marriage, and family, you need to set time aside to rest.
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