Joshua 20 ; 1 Corinthians 9

Scripture -  ^"I don't know about you, but I'm running hard for the finish line. I'm giving it everything I've got. No sloppy living for me! I'm staying alert and in top condition. I'm not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself." 1 Corinthians 9:26-27

Observation - Paul gives a good word to shepherds here...those who are shepherding God's people and sharing the Message with them.  It is possible to get so caught up in the shepherding of others that you neglect your own spiritual journey and miss out personally on the things that you know intellectually and encourage others to embrace.  Paul says, "No sloppy living for me..."  That is, he will do the things to, first and foremost, stay connected with Christ.  It may mean twice the effort to live it and teach it, but it is worth the price.

Application - Time.  That is usually the issue.  Not allowing yourself the time to foster your own connection, and seeing that as equally important (if not more so) as helping to foster the connections of others.  There are probably two main things to help in this: 1. Giving ourselves the permission to take the time to work on our own connections, 2. Prioritizing our time commitments, so our connection time doesn't get forced out by things of (in the grand scheme) lesser importance.