It seems like everywhere I go lately, God’s been talking to me about living a balanced life.
We seem to live in an unbalanced world. Wouldn’t you agree? We’re so busy, we can hardly keep our heads on straight. We have more “time saving” devices than anyone in history, yet do you have any extra time? Let me know if you do!
We get so tired and stressed out, running all over the place, trying to get everything done and worrying about things that we live in a nearly burnt-out state all the time. But God doesn’t want us living that way! He wants us to live lives of peace and balance.
Yes, there’s a lot to do in life, but too often we get out of balance when we try to do too much, and do it all in our own strength. Life is a marathon, not a dash. The ones who finish the race strong are those who learn to pace themselves all along the way.
If we just go, go, go all the time, we’re going to burn out. We need to learn to live wisely, not in our own strength, but in God’s (Matt 11:28-30).
Here’s a brief look at four ways that can help us bring balance to our lives every day:
In Luke 10 we see the story of Martha, who is frantically trying to get dinner on the table for a lot of guests while her sister Mary does nothing but sit at the feet of Jesus. But Jesus tells Martha that she is way too stressed out, and that only one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her (v. 42).
When we think 27 things are needed in our hectic lives, Jesus says one thing is needed—time in His presence, where the answers are. Too often we are dashing about looking for answers, or doing everything ourselves (ouch!) when the answer is in the Word of God. We need to be habitually filling our hearts with the Word of God every day. Yesterday’s faith isn’t good enough for today’s battles.
#2 - Rest
Psalm 127:2 says, It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep. God is smart — He knows the human body needs rest.
You do everything better when you are rested. Tired people get discouraged easier, can’t resist the devil, get sick quicker, stop walking in love, become self-centered, work less productively, and make wrong decisions that can cost a lot in the long run.
It may sound selfish or irresponsible to stop juggling life’s demands and go to sleep. But it’s more irresponsible to stay up all hours and work yourself to exhaustion. Others pay for it, and eventually you do too — then someone has to take care of you. Go to bed on time!
#3 - Discipline Your Flesh
In 1 Cor. 9:27 NLT, Paul said he disciplined his body like an athlete, training it to do what it should, indicating that people who can’t keep their flesh under control in daily ways get disqualified.
Eating right is just one of the ways we can discipline our flesh. I’m not saying you should become a health food fanatic; I’m saying that if you eat ONLY food that’s bad for you, you can’t expect any good results in your body! Blessings come when we fuel our body as if it were the temple of God (1 Cor. 6:19).
#4 - LIghten the Load
First Peter 5:7 says, Cast your care on the Lord, for He cares for you. Mark 4:19 says the cares of this world will choke the Word, thereby choking our faith. So cast your cares on God! Refuse to worry (Phil 4:6, 7 AMP). Realize that it’s a sin to worry — it’s saying that the circumstances are bigger than God. Focus instead on God’s greatness and His answers, and before you know it, those cares will be in their rightful place!
