I recently started an outdoor Bible study group of girls that I know. We will be going through a 12 lesson book on “Leading a Life of Balance” which I have found tremendously encouraging. In the group, everyone is at different points in their life, not a one is the same as another, which I find really cool! By using this book, I feel that we will each examine our own lives, discuss it, and each take away something from the exercises and apply them appropriately and individually.

In Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, the Teacher tells us that there is an appointed time for everything. This encompasses the big things and little things in our lives. Birth : death; silence : speaking. God didn’t plan our birth without thinking of the details of the life that would follow. Not only does this talk of God’s plan, but we need to remember to balance our lives according to a Godly plan. Are we listening more than we speak? Are we repairing and rebuilding in the right places? Are we moving forward?

We all have different backgrounds. We were raised differently. We have different activities and responsibilities on our plates. But getting the right balance in our lives is like a receipt – too much of one ingredient can possibly detrimental because we can lose focus of more important things in life/our receipt. This receipt forms our full success in every area.

Something I learned, and I may have said previously, was that during college, I was “too busy” trying to get good grades after a rough semester. I pored over schoolwork and took extra time doing homework in an effort to absorb all that I possibly could. It didn’t work and I felt defeats, useless – nothing I did was helping me get better test grades. I contemplated changing universities even. I thought maybe I wasn’t cut out for this private school, even though the other school I had in mind was also a private university, as if that was going to help. I got to the point that I didn’t like going. Every semester started out great, I got the work done early, got organized by using a planner, used flashcards but quickly got behind on them and then the downhill slope approached me again.

My junior year, after my sophomore year break down, I had this change of heart and realized that what I was missing was something that I had severely neglected but was always there. God. I wasn’t spending time in prayer, studying the Word, or being active in my church. I was just a pew sitter – not motivated, not enthusiastic, and not engaged.

I started laying my burdens of hopelessness, defeat, uselessness, discouragement, and everything else at His feet. I stopped worrying as MUCH (of course there’s still a percent of worry there, who doesn’t???) and it was like this weight had lifted. I’m a huge worrywart so… I still had this pressure on myself to do good but I felt like finally, doing my best was going to be sufficient. I was going to graduate on time, I would have the degree I worked really hard for and would soon have a job. I knew and still know that God will provide everything I could possibly need and want if I would just not try to control the balance of my life all by myself.

God is the most important ingredient in our receipt of life. Without Him, our relationships fail, our success is weak and meaningless, and all the other ingredients are insufficient and take away from His glory. Nothing would be balanced without Him.

Balancing our lives is not the easiest. Some people seem to have it together with more on their plate than many, while some with few things in comparison may struggle and wonder why. The truth is, we are most likely not expert jugglers. It takes practice, practice, practice in order to get anything achieved in life. If we practice diligently balance and going to the Lord for guidance in all things, the rest will then take care of itself.

 

 

As a side note, I’ve been stuck on Reckless Love by Cory Asbury, as many people have been. It’s just so good! (That’s a hint to go listen to it.)