The Old Testament has some to say about unjust balances or scales. Evil lurks in unjust balances. I’d like to look at the word with the aspect of our lives. How do we balance it all? How do we balance the different aspects of all of the ‘worlds’ we now exist in? How do we balance all the relationships, work, and challenges? How do we balance our lives in both our physical and spiritual lives? What makes us become unbalanced? What keeps us from bringing balance into our lives?
Maintaining balance is not easy. There are many forces constantly upsetting our balance. Adjustments seem to need to be made regularly. These are all issues that really need to be discussed with the indwelling Presence who uses your body as a temple. Yep. There is another who needs to be consulted with when you consider your daily balance in your life. I think we often forget about Him when it comes to considering our bodies, decisions, and daily life. We think, “It’s my life, and my decision. It’s my body.” Really? IF you’ve actually given your life to Jesus … then it really isn’t your life, or body, or really your decision if you consider your life is …really His. Terminally committed individuals KNOW that they need to check with their …. Guide / Master.
If you just stop and think about it … wouldn’t your Designer have some good advice how on to maintain your own personal balance? But we are so set on OUR rights. We’re obsessed with maintaining individuality … when there is Another who we are currently in the process of actually melding with. So really, it isn’t just about us.
Of course there will be MANY other forces and factions that want you to join with them as well. There’s where it gets difficult IF you don’t have the Holy Spirit to advise you. Who actually should I align myself with? Who should I join or not join? Making the wrong decision with any of those could easily upset your balance.
Do I have any words of wisdom? Uhhh…. I myself are still trying to get the whole balance thing down. I don’t think I’m balanced enough, and it’s a constant struggle. But I know I need balance and it’s important for a healthy body, mind, and spirit. By now if you’ve read any amount here you already know my “go to” advice.
But how many others want you to buy their advice on how to do better with your life balance? Books, podcasts, sermons, videos, when actually the best Source is the one LIVING in you.
I no longer wonder why the Church doesn’t teach people how to listen to the Holy Spirit so they can live a more balanced life. Most will say it takes years to learn how to hear Him correctly. I disagree, I know many children who naturally hear Him easily. If people began to ‘go to’ the Holy Spirit as their Guide for their own ‘spiritual’ guidance the Church would really have to rethink what happens when the Body came together. Would the pastor’s sermon really be needed? Would we really need a formal structured liturgy? Or maybe just lots of great testimony, conversation, fellowship, prayer, and worship? Maybe the focus would be on Jesus and the Holy Spirit rather than on the “pastor”? Maybe we could actually sit facing one another and have real conversations with great questions? I think we need to look at scripture and look at the deeper things of how the Body should encourage one another when we get together. Most of the liturgy I see in Churches today are just ‘entertainment’ hours — cinema style. Everyone facing forward, stand up, sit down, read the verse, listen to the ‘talk’ and then file out while smiling. Am I wrong here? Is that the best we have when it comes to “encouragement” and equipping of the saints? Unfortunately I DON’T see balance there. I see a one sided-ness that is a like the Pharisees of old. “Do as WE say — we know what God wants you to do.”
I tend to like God’s variety, and beauty, and complexity, and mystery. I tend to like to consider things when HE asks the questions. And HE actually waits for us to respond and answer Him.
Some will say their meetings are just too large to do those kind of interactions. Well my answer to that is we need SMALLER groups. Decentralize the big meeting into much smaller ones. Aren’t there enough elders who can teach, and lead them to hearing the Holy Spirit? Or is it all about control and money for salaries? Where is the balance in the meeting of people where they are able to ask questions of the elders / pastor / apostle?
Find a group where you can ask genuine questions.
Work on things that help you find your balance. Asking Him what to do to find balance is always a good start.