The old coach entered the office of a much younger coach and asked, “Got a minute?”
The old man, then 85, showed the coach a medal he had won as a young track star many decades before. Inscribed on the back of the medal were the words, “Friends. Family. Health.” Then the old man said, “When you are done coaching, make sure you’ve got those three things and that you keep them with you.”
The old coach was Red Simmons, the founding coach of the women’s track program at Michigan State University, and also a member of the 1932 U.S. Olympic team. Now 100, yet still going strong, his advice is also applicable to under-pressure, performance-driven, or workaholic pastors. John Baldoni, who reported this story, comments:
Not only do these three words – friends, family, health — anchor a leader’s life, they provide him or her with a perspective on how to treat others. Leadership is rooted in self awareness but leadership is an outward focused mindset that emphasizes responsibility for others
Friends. Family. Health. It’s a good framework for keeping your leadership and your life in perspective.
Sadly, some pastors have ended their ministries with none of these. And the cause was not faithfulness.