Day 39: Balancing Your Life

I'm a person that tries to compartmentalize my life. I try to keep things in their own box. I keep my professional life separate from my personal life. But sometimes trying to strike that balance is difficult. One of my goals this year is to try and balance the physical life with the spiritual life. I know the physical is one of my weak areas and it's something I pledge to change.

Points to Ponder: Blessed are the balanced.

Verse to Remember: "Live life with a due sense of responsibility, not as those who do not know the meaning of life but as those who do." (Ephesians 5:15)

Question to Consider: Which of the four activities will I begin in order to stay on track and balance God's five purposes for my life?

My response:

As I started the new year, a cousin of my wife sent us an email about balance. He knows that we are spiritual people and are heavily involved in the ministry. But he has always encouraged us to take a more balanced approach to life. He too is a person of faith. He said that we should balance the spiritual as well as the physical element.

I thought of him when I was reading this chapter. He is correct. The Bible says that we must have balance in our lives. God doesn't want us to lead boring lives. He has given us province over the entire planet for us to take care of and enjoy. We must have balance in all elements of our lives. Even in our spiritual lives, we must have balance. There are different elements of our spiritual life: prayer, meditation, fellowship, worship, evangelism, etc. There are different styles of worship as well. Sometimes I enjoy good gospel music. Sometimes I love the old LMS hymns. Sometimes I worship by studying the Word. Others I enjoy sitting sitting under the sky on a beautiful day and enjoy God's creation.

We must balance the different purposes of our lives: worship, evangelism, mission, fellowship and discipleship. We all have our favorites, but we must balance the others. Some of us are gifted for particular ones, but we must not neglect the others. One of my goals for this year is to live a more balanced life.

One of the best pieces of advice I received early on in my life is to have a couple of hobbies, or things you're passionate about. My priorities are God, family and career, in that order. But two things that keep me grounded are my love of sports and politics. It gives me a good outlet in life. The best of all worlds is when I can combine all areas of my life. I love my daughter. I love the Longhorns. Now my daughter loves the Longhorns. Now if I can only get her to agree with my politics. Be blessed.