B is for Balanced

 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23 

I believe happy people know how to keep their lives in a healthy state of balance.  Have you ever heard the phrase, "everything in moderation?" It's kind of the same thing. It means there is an intentional effort to maintain a healthy amount of each of the elements of our lives. Work, Home, Family, Relationships, Rest, Community, etc.. We all have responsibilities and interests of all different kinds and trying to keep up with them all at the same time can be exhausting and challenging.  I call it "juggling and trying to keep all the balls up in the air." Drop one ball and all of them come tumbling down. There is a sense of anxiety and stress about juggling, though, and life doesn't have to be that way if we insert a sense of priority intention into every area of what we commit ourselves to. It's easy to get overwhelmed if we don't know how to prioritize or eliminate the things that don't need our commitment or attention. If we are working too much, our families may begin to suffer from our absence. If we spend too much time shopping, our bank accounts as well as our time may get out of balance. If we are worrying, fretting, complaining, and venting, we are going to find ourselves out of balance emotionally and probably affect the balance in our relationships. If we begin to isolate ourselves socially, we will soon find ourselves out of balance where any relationships are concerned. A lack of balance can create havoc anywhere-our physical health from a lack of exercise or medical attention, our marriages from a lack of time or from too much arguing, our bodies from too much stress, too much eating, not enough water, and sometimes not enough rest and quiet time. And certainly, not enough time with God and hearing what He has to say to us. God will always want us to put Him first, and when we do that, all other things will fall into place. But seek first His kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33 I don't know how many times I have caught myself flustered and sputtering about something, and didn't stop to pray about it first. God will bring balance to a life that nothing and no one else can. He says, "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." Psalm 46:10

I believe a happy person is one who knows their own limitations, respects their own time and that of others, and knows how to form the word, "NO." Spreading ourselves out too thin in order to please everyone else is a great way to get out of balance, and also a way to build up resentment when you're not really doing things out of the spirit in your own heart. 

 It is a balanced person (not a perfect one) who will strive to prioritize their spiritual life, family life, work duties, home care, personal desires, community life, and still manage to find time for others when the need arises, because it allows for hiccups and emergencies to occur. Many years ago, I used to follow a cleaning website called flylady, and the goal was to break down the daily chores in a manageable fashion. The most important takeaway for me was that the first thing you did each morning was shower and get dressed all the way to your shoes! Maybe this fits into more of a prepared person's lifestyle, but I believe a balanced person would also be ready for anything the day would throw at them, and having your shoes on would certainly bring you peace at a time of crisis. You just never know when you'll be running out the door. I don't do this, by the way, but I can see where it could be beneficial. At least I no longer care if I am showered or made up before I run out the door in my slippers. Standards have changed, people. Sorry if you have to see me out there. 

 Balance allows for wiggle room, because we won't try to cram too many things into our lives that we don't really have time for.  A person who is balanced also values and uses time wisely.  Remember that teacher back in grade school who used to write that on the report card-"uses time wisely"? Well, I was a daydreamer in some of my classes, so there was that. I didn't do well in the classes where I couldn't balance my daydreaming time with my listening time! HaHa

 A balanced person takes time for self care as well as time for hobbies.  I don't believe this comes naturally to most people. Some of us can't tell ourselves "no" when it comes to working, and some of us just can't relax. There are a lot of guilt-ridden people who believe they aren't allowed to enjoy themselves! The Lord has given us talents and gifts that we are to share with others and yes, for our personal enjoyment too. Some of us need to be disciplined to work more, and some of us need to be disciplined to play more! There are many areas of our lives that could use some equilibrium, and it's for our own benefit that we should keep striving for that. We are a very unbalanced group of humans sometimes, but with God's help, we can overcome ourselves. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Hebrews 12:11 

I focused a lot on the balancing of time here, but there are so many areas of life where balance can be a gamechanger. Be blessed and strive for a place of stability where you've been a little off kilter. I'm checking myself too!  May God help all of us balance our lives for His purpose.