Middle Ground

There are very few things in life when unbalance brings pleasure and satisfaction; like a see-saw, a pendulum scale tipping in our favor, or viewing the leaning tower of Pisa. Nevertheless, most times unbalance is usually followed by a fall. If a shelf is unbalanced, books fall to the ground. If we hang coats only on one side, the coat rack falls to the ground. If we lose our balance, we fall to the ground. They say “all work and no play make Jack a dull boy,” but on the flip side—all play and no work makes Jack a bum!

It is very important to strike a balance in all we do. According to Education.com, “When an object is supported in such a way that there is equal weight on both sides of the support, the object is said to be balanced.” We need to ensure that our lives are balance. It doesn’t matter if you’re a teen or an adult. Ensuring that each aspect of our lives equally has our attention is vital for our overall well being. We can always pretend that we have everything in order, but eventually gravity will take its place and the areas that are neglected will collapse. “A false balance is an abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is his delight.” Proverbs 11:1

Teens, so what if you’re a sport fanatic? You watch every game on TV and attend every match. You play football, basketball, volleyball. You’re on the track team and the cheer leading team. That’s great. So what if you’re an artist; dedicating long hours playing an instrument or creating paintings? That’s awesome. However, if you’re failing academically, and or the relationship with your parents/siblings is stifled, then you need to check your life-scale because it’s out of whack!

Adults, we definitely have to go out and work. We have to pay the bills and feed the children. But is work eating up all our time? Relationships can be a sweet treat or a scary nightmare—either way, is it draining all our energy? And of course we have to be active in church. There’s the youth department to oversee and then the choir practices. But is it all we do?

Sometimes we work extra hard to keep one area of our life constant while another part slowly dies. Take for example those who make an effort to eat healthy while their spiritual life is about to have a heart attack. And there are many other imbalances. Still, it doesn’t have to be that way and shouldn’t. Let us ensure that we practice a balance life. Pay attention to the things you prioritize, and look at the things that are begging for your attention. Ephesians 5:15 advise us to be careful how we walk, not as unwise men but as wise. Let us follow the example of the only man who maintained a perfectly balance life; Jesus Christ.