Seeking a Balanced Life

I must have been bored.

As the airplane banked to the side, making a turn to prepare for descent, passengers stayed perfectly in place, continuing to read, eat, and watch in-flight movies. Me? I pondered God’s creation of balance.

It’s amazing. How can an airplane tip to one side without crashing to the ground due to the pull of gravity? The design of the aircraft relies on God’s created properties of balance, motion, and lift to keep the aircraft stable. Tilting to one side won’t throw any of us off kilter because we’re part of that inner core where the center of gravity is located.

I wish life were like that. I strive to have what people call a “balanced life,” handling all my commitments equally and effortlessly. I think of that airplane where people stay in place with every change of position. Or how about a gymnast, feet firmly planted one behind the other on a four-inch beam, arms outstretched, and body straight? Like airplanes and gymnasts, everything in my life would be perfectly in line, running smoothly in forward motion, and I would always look serene and competent. 

It sounds idyllic. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could balance home, family, career, ministry, and community responsibilities? Every day would be planned and predictable. Every maneuver as effortless as an Olympic gymnast nailing a landing off the balance beam. But what happens when an unexpected jolt of turbulent life shoves us to the side, not giving us time to flow in tandem with life changes?

The apostle Paul tells us it is possible to stay standing when life gives us a hard punch to the side. “Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand (Eph 6:13, NIV).” 

When we center our lives on the things of God: His truth, His righteousness, His Word that shows us how to live, our trust in His ability to hold us fast, and a mindset of Kingdom goals and values, we will keep standing. And, as (2 Corinthians 4:8-9) reminds us, if we stay connected to God, we will not crash to the ground, even when we stumble.

Here are some steps you can take to stand in place the next time life events threaten to topple you.  Proactive Prevention

As my grandmother’s generation quoted, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” We can be proactive by strengthening ourselves physically and mentally before the crisis hits.

I took a nine-week class in gymnastics in high school. My attempts at the balance beam were pathetic. I knew nothing about how to stand on that narrow beam, and my ankles were weak. I was more off the beam than on it. But as the weeks went on, my knowledge and muscle tone improved, and I only jumped off twice during my final exam. 

According to 2 Timothy 3:16, one of the benefits of God’s Word is its ability to train us in righteousness. As my spiritual muscles strengthen, the forces of life will be less apt to throw me off.

Stay Flexible

Another issue I faced in my gymnastics class was my fear of failure, which made me constantly tense. My inability to stay pliable became my ultimate undoing. As I completed my balance beam dismount during my final exam, my ankles locked and I hyperextended, causing a nasty sprain. Not a good way to end an already difficult class! 

If we become too intent on our need for predictability and perfection, we’re more apt to flail when life doesn’t go the way we expect. Leaning on God’s grace for ourselves and others will help us react with more peace and confidence to the unexpected moments of life.

Stay in control. 

When something plows into us, the natural tendency is to give in to the momentum, which causes us to crash to the pavement. Instead, we increase our chances of retaining our balance

by shifting our own center of gravity. It is possible to control the fall.

In real life, when the unexpected happens, I often tell my myself, “Don’t overreact. Don’t let emotion take over. Keep a balance between what you know and what you feel.” As my emotions threaten to sideswipe me, I cling to Jesus’ promise about the freedom of truth (John 8:32), and I pray, “Lord show me what is true.” God’s truth keeps me aligned, allowing me to stay centered despite the instability in my life.

Hold on to Jesus

When turbulence causes a plane to jerk to one side, our automatic reaction is to grab the seat in front of us. Holding on to something solid stops our body’s momentum and keeps us from bashing our head into the window.

As the ancient hymn, “A Mighty Fortress,” says, we have a bulwark that never fails. Like a large granite rock or a strong fortress, our God is not going anywhere. When life events push at us, we can reach out to our Lord, grip His hand, grip tighter, and hold on. He will not let us go. If we let go, we will fall. Abiding in Him means we stay attached, never leaving Him, not content to merely stay by his side, but holding on as permanently as a branch to the trunk of a tree (John 15:5). We do that because He is our strength, our lifeline. From Him comes our sustenance, and we cannot survive without Him.

When you find your strength in God and seek Him each moment of every day, you will find that sense of balance. You may tip to the side, but nothing will prevail against you. The world may rage around you, but you will stand solid because your trust is in God. He is faithful, He is consistent. 

He will keep you standing.

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About the Author: Karen Wingate is author of the book, “Grateful Heart: 60 Reasons to Give Thanks in All Things (Our Daily Bread Publishing). She is also the author of the award-winning book, “With Fresh Eyes: 60 Insights into the Miraculously Ordinary from a Woman Born Blind,” which tells of her journey to discover her world after a random surgery improved her life-long legal blindness.   www.karenwingate.com