A Proper Balance in Life

by

Rev. Richard Fisher

I was at the house of one of my daughters not long ago when I was reminded of the consequences of not having a proper balance. I stood on the top of a small stool to hit a fly on the ceiling. (What was I thinking of?) I lost my balance and well, I put a whole in the wall with my foot. After they checked to see if I was alright (I was, thank you Lord), we had a good laugh. However, it can be a very serious situation to be out of balance in an area of your life.

God wants us to live a balanced life “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.” Ecclesiastes 3:1. All through your life, in everything we look at, it all focuses toward equilibrium -- the principle of balance. And God wants our personal lives to be balanced.

There is a lot of sickness in the area including the flu. Doctors say sickness is an imbalance in your body. Health comes when your body is restored to balance. I had a touch of the flu a couple of weeks ago and it is sure nice to be in balance or feeling better now.

A problem some people have is imbalance. Imbalance is a disease that has many different symptoms, but the root is the same. You can be out of balance in anything. Sleeping? Yes. Eating? Yes. Work? Yes. Play? Yes. Everything!

In a Peanuts Cartoon: Lucy is playing baseball. She’s running out into the outfield and saying, "I’ve got it! I’ve got it!" and the ball flies over her head and plunks down right behind her. She’s standing there with her hand open. She throws the ball back to Charlie Brown who’s standing on the mound and says, "Sorry about that, manager. My body just doesn’t seem to want to do what my brain tells it to." Charlie Brown says, "I can understand that--my body and my brain haven’t spoken to each other in years."

While imbalance can affect many areas of our lives, I would like to say a few words about the most import one – our spiritual life. We need to have spiritual balance in our lives. 2 Peter 3:18 says: "Grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." You do two things to grow as a Christian: You grow in grace and you grow in knowledge of Jesus Christ. You have intellectual growth -- you know about the content of the Bible. You also grow in grace -- that’s cultivating an intimate relationship, and enjoying God.

How about spiritual balance? Is my first reaction to a problem to pray, or do I usually use that as a last resort? Do I take time for God? Do I trust Him? Do I really know Him? Do I read the Bible on a regular basis?

We say that there is not enough time to pray or go to church. We are physically tired from the week of work or activities Lord will understand how we do not have time or energy to serve Him. Jesus came to redeem mankind but He took time to pray and serve. Physically He was beaten and crucified. Nails did not hold the Son of God on Calvary but His love for us. Our love for Him and others will serve as a motivation to live a spiritually balanced life. We can not do this by determination but my God's power strengthening us through prayer and His Word.

The decisions we make have an impact on our lives. Some last for weeks, others for years and some for a lifetime. However, the decision to ask forgiveness of your sins and invite Christ by faith into your life is one that will last for eternity.