Sorry to leave a picture of a deceased fireman front and center for so many days. Brian Bilcher, himself, would probably want us all to focus on happier thoughts than the awful act that ended his life. So, as a continuation of my memorial of him, I'l tell you one of those thinks I've been thinking.
Balance. Am I the only one that struggles with it? You hear it discussed a lot around working moms --finding balance. And that's part of my struggle, but I think I'm mostly talking about the tightrope that separates reasonable and sane from over-the-top and nutty. And it is a constant tight-rope.
Where is the balance between discipline and obsession? Where is the line between confessional and recklessly airing your dirty laundry? Where is the balance between walking in faith and walking in denial? Where is the balance between driven and workaholic (good example, but I doubt I can be accused of either)? Where is the balance between relaxing and lazy?
I don't have answers to these. Those are the questions I'm still asking. I know that God is in the balance. We had a FABULOUS sermon today about how Jesus prioritized -- I interpreted, so I didn't have much time to meditate on that, but I'm sure Jesus found balance. So I shall seek Jesus. And balance.
5 comments:
When my husband and I went through our fertility struggles, I didn't have any balance. I was doing good to just function as best I could with the help of God and the people around me. I had a good support system.
These days, I am busy as ever, but I feel a little more balanced. It seems like when my eyes are opened to the people around me that are hurting, God has a way of sending them right to me which keeps my focus off of me. My eyes aren't always opened though. I think it is so important to have people in your life that are trustworthy and keep you accountable.
There are times when we are the encouragers and times when we need the encouraging. In Luke 22:44 it said, "And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground." He was struggling with this and he found his disciples sleeping. We all need encouragement and support from other people from time to time.
I hear you both!
My scale never balances. . .it just bends from me piling things on both sides whether I intend to or not.
Good post and good ponderings.
I don't think balance is a biblical concept. Moderation maybe. But not balance. Jesus never preached it, and neither did Paul, or any of the prophets and apostles. Their lives tended to be characterized by intense hardship, exhaustion, deprivation, joy, and sacrifice. Balance, not so much. But the way it's touted from pulpits and women's conferences all over the place nowadays, you'd think it was the new moral ideal. I think peace and Christ-likeness come a lot more readily from listening to God's word and doing whatever it says than from finding the middle ground between all the extremes of our lives. (But this is my peevishness coming out from reading a particular balance-preaching, MOPs-endorsed book with my steering team.)What I really came over here to say is Happy Birthday!!
Time for the Lord, quiet, meditation, Bible study, prayer, if I can get (and am now it is a must for me) these in the beginning of my day, then bring it on! I can take whatever comes, without them, I am a train wreck waiting to happen.
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