--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The main thing you will give your…" description: "\"“The main thing you will give your congregation — just like the main thing you will give to God — is the person you become. If your soul is unhealthy, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ad/john-ortberg-932_soul_the-main-thing-you-will-give-your-congre_1727333.png" --- # The main thing you will give your congregation — just like… ![“The main thing you will give your congregation — just like the main thing you will give to God — is the person you become. If your soul is unhealthy, you can’t help anybody. You don’t send a doctor with pneumonia to care for patients with immune disorders. You, and nobody else, are responsible for…” quote by John Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ad/john-ortberg-932_soul_the-main-thing-you-will-give-your-congre_1727333.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ad/john-ortberg-932_soul_the-main-thing-you-will-give-your-congre_1727333.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ad/john-ortberg-932_soul_the-main-thing-you-will-give-your-congre_1727333.png) > ““The main thing you will give your congregation — just like the main thing you will give to God — is the person you become. If your soul is unhealthy, you can’t help anybody. You don’t send a doctor with pneumonia to care for patients with immune disorders. You, and nobody else, are responsible for the well-being of your own soul.”” [John Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ortberg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. One’s spiritual health determines ability to help others; self‑care is essential before serving. **In simple terms:** You must be healthy yourself to help others. Key Takeaway Prioritize your own well‑being. Themes spiritual health service responsibility Mood thoughtful inspirational Type philosophical advice When to use this quote - counseling - mentoring - community work - personal crises Key Concepts self‑care leadership empathy Questions to Reflect On - How do you nurture your soul? - What boundaries protect your well‑being? A Different Perspective Neglecting self‑care can lead to burnout. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Person Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/person-soul/) [Responsible Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsible-soul-1397353/) [Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul/) [Soul Unhealthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul-unhealthy-1397352/) [Spirituality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirituality/) [Unhealthy Help](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unhealthy-help-1397354/) ## Related quotes > [“If your soul is healthy, no external circumstance can destroy your life. 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This person is one you could forever talk to. They understand you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-ann/throughout-life-you-will-meet-one-person-who-is-unlike-any-other-this/) [Pamela Ann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-ann/) > [What is planted in each person's soul will sprout.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/what-is-planted-in-each-person-s-soul-will-sprout/) [Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/) > [Throughout life you will meet one person who is unlike any other. You can talk to this person for hours and never get bored,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vvn/throughout-life-you-will-meet-one-person-who-is-unlike-any-other-you/) [VVN](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vvn/) > [“When a person can see into your soul, it's hard. It forces you to be open. Vulnerable. 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Your inside person is soul, is heart, in the eternal now, the ageless, the old, the young, all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/your-inside-person-doesn-t-age-your-inside-person-is-soul-is-heart-in/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“I don’t believe in soul mates, not exactly. I think it’s ridiculous to think that there’s only one person out there for us. What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/i-don-t-believe-in-soul-mates-not-exactly-i-think-it-s-ridiculous-to/) [Richelle Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/) ## More by John Ortberg > [“What do we do in the dark night? We do nothing. We wait. We remember that we are not God. We hold on. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ortberg/what-do-we-do-in-the-dark-night-we-do-nothing-we-wait-we-remember/) [John Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ortberg/) > [If we are serious about loving God, we must begin with people, all people. And especially we must learn to love those that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ortberg/if-we-are-serious-about-loving-god-we-must-begin-with-people-all/) [John Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ortberg/) > [True repentance never leads to despair. Its leads home. 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You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ortberg/hurry-is-the-great-enemy-of-spiritual-life-in-our-day-you-must/) [John Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ortberg/) > [In reality, each thought we have carries with it a little spiritual power, a tug toward or away from God. No thought is purely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ortberg/in-reality-each-thought-we-have-carries-with-it-a-little-spiritual/) [John Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ortberg/) > [The miracle of Sunday is that a dead man lives. The miracle of Saturday is that the eternal Son of God lies dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ortberg/the-miracle-of-sunday-is-that-a-dead-man-lives-the-miracle-of/) [John Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ortberg/) > [“The most important thing about you,” Dallas would often say, “is not the things that you achieve; it is the person that you become.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ortberg/the-most-important-thing-about-you-dallas-would-often-say-is-not-the/) [John Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ortberg/) > [Jesus had a universal concern for those who suffered that transcended the rules of the ancient world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ortberg/jesus-had-a-universal-concern-for-those-who-suffered-that-transcended/) [John Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ortberg/) > [God is a God of endless opportunities to do good; the God of the open door.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ortberg/god-is-a-god-of-endless-opportunities-to-do-good-the-god-of-the-open/) [John Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ortberg/) > [One of the most painful aspects of suffering is the loneliness of it. Others may offer support or empathy, but no one can walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ortberg/one-of-the-most-painful-aspects-of-suffering-is-the-loneliness-of-it/) [John Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ortberg/) [Explore all 325 John Ortberg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ortberg/) ## More Soul quotes > [Only within yourself exists the other reality for which you long. I can give you nothing that has not already its being within yourself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/only-within-yourself-exists-the-other-reality-for-which-you-long-i/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Many individuals spend a considerable portion of their lifetimes in terror of one imagined catastrophe or another. The classic is that your immortal soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/many-individuals-spend-a-considerable-portion-of-their-lifetimes-in/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [I don't drink much anymore, but when I traveled with Frank Sinatra, God rest his soul, I used to drink like I could do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-rickles/i-don-t-drink-much-anymore-but-when-i-traveled-with-frank-sinatra-god/) [Don Rickles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-rickles/) > [She smiled, if he could see that, and waited for him to ask the real question. But he was silent. He wanted her to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-shinn/she-smiled-if-he-could-see-that-and-waited-for-him-to-ask-the-real/) [Sharon Shinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-shinn/) > [I have inside me the winds, the deserts, the oceans, the stars, and everything created in the universe. We were all made by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-have-inside-me-the-winds-the-deserts-the-oceans-the-stars-and/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [ “i believe \[images\] are the soul's immune system and transit system.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynda-barry/i-believe-images-are-the-soul-s-immune-system-and-transit-system/) [Lynda Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynda-barry/) > [Alone in a world, With millions of souls Walking in circles Trapped in their dreams unhealthy, unclean walking in circles, now do not disturb…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chester-bennington/alone-in-a-world-with-millions-of-souls-walking-in-circles-trapped-in/) [Chester Bennington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chester-bennington/) > [And you can't complain about kissing Emma Watson. Isn't that what everyone in the world wants to do? I've known Emma for a few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-redmayne/and-you-can-t-complain-about-kissing-emma-watson-isn-t-that-what/) [Eddie Redmayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-redmayne/) > [“You're never alone if you're with your soul.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-armond-powell/you-re-never-alone-if-you-re-with-your-soul/) [Gerard Armond Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-armond-powell/) > [The more perfect the sight is the more delightful the beautiful object. The more perfect the appetite, the sweeter the food. The more musical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/the-more-perfect-the-sight-is-the-more-delightful-the-beautiful/) [Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/) > [“A question for Christians who accept evolution: When did we gain a "soul"? Did Homo habilis have a soul? Homo ergaster? 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