Trying to Find the Perfect Balance for My Today

The other day on facebook I updated my status with these words:  Trying to find the perfect balance....it's essential.

Essential for what?  At minimal, survival, I think, as sometimes this is as good as it gets  (...keepin it real...). But other times, to function at our greatest potential, maximize our gifts, strengths and abilities for maximum output.  Yes, I do believe this is possible. 


In our lives, we go through many seasons causing our schedules to change, forcing us to redo boundaries, evaluate activities, and rearrange priorities


So how do we find the perfect balance?


I think the first thing would be to make sure we have our priorities in the correct order.  Without God first, my life would be chaos.  After this would be my family, and the remaining items on the list could probably change from time to time depending on a variety of things.


What happens when we loose our physical balance?  We fall down.

I think a similar thing can happen when our lives are out of balance.  We burn out, we get dizzy (confused, tired, deceived) and fall down, we slip away from God, we neglect our family, we StReSs out.

With that being said, I am in pursuit of finding that perfect balance for me and where I am today. 

To my schedule, I added five classes, 15 college hours, for the next sixteen weeks (Deep breath.).  So I'm asking myself how do I  maintain my same level of commitment to #1 God and then to the rest of my "normal" responsibilities (family, church, home, writing, prayer/devotion, social, volunteering, etc)?

I think the answer to this question will be different for each of us.

In my biology class there is a mother of four small children who is pregnant with #5.  She is also taking a full load of classes.  Waiting at home for her is six loads of laundry, a sink full of dishes and an unprepared dinner.

I'm thinking as long as everyone has clean underwear, order pizza and wash clothes tomorrow....

One of my professors talked about how busy her weeks are and how tired she is in class, especially at the end of the week.  She used a small table for seating while discussing our slides and told the class that if she fell, just let her lay there for a little while because she needed the rest.  :)

I'm sure you could insert your own story here.

In our lab this week, we "played" with plastic models, breaking and forming bonds, creating Isomers.  Isomers are compounds with the same elements but different structures and properties.  So although they contain the same elements, those elements are arranged and joined differently, causing them to have different properties and different reactions, which determines their use.  In joining two of the isomers together, sometimes we had to add or remove a water molecule to create a bond between the two.

We are like isomers.  Although we may have the same  or similar "stuff" (elements) in our lives, that stuff is sometimes arranged differently depending on our own personal situations.   And that arrangement of our "stuff" causes us to react differently and also determines our use and abilities (properties).

And when my seasons change and I another element to my life, I may have to add or lose something to make everything fit together.  (I could always add a hired maid service...)

What areas can I decrease or let go of and still remain healthy?

What needs to be rearranged or re-ordered?

I pray that God will show me the perfect balance for me during this time.  And I pray, if you are feeling a little dizzy and out of balance, that you will seek God and find His structure and grace for this season you are in.  We are meant for great things!  It's not because we are great, but because HE IS!  (Kind of takes the pressure off, huh?) 

Receive His grace, and allow His greatness and His strength to flow out of you.

"My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness..."  2 Corinthians 12:9

"My soul waits in silence for God only; From Him is my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I shall not be moved." Psalm 42:1-2

"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My load is light." Matthew 11:28-31

"..casting all your cares upon Him, because He cares for you..." 1 Peter 5:7

Have an amazing weekend, my friends!  :)

The Tragedy of Life in the Fast Lane

So.

It has been 33 days since my last post.

I WANT to be consistent.

Really, .....I do.

But, MAN, blogging regularly is HARD for me! I can write in my journal, but to actually have time to sit down at the computer and post what I've written....now, that's a different story!

But.... I press on! :)

So, here is something I wrote in JANUARY (smile).....that I was supposed to post in FEBRUARY (sigh) about speeding and life in the fast lane. :)

A parallel was drawn for me by the Holy Spirit between my busy life and that of a person speeding in a car. I guess sometimes I just don't get it, so God has to use something creative to get my attention. Like a speeding ticket. Ya.

Some of the things that happen or can happen when we are exceeding the speed limit in your car are:

1. We often miss important road signs or exits. (Most of our exits off of the freeway are on the right side. If we stay in the fast lane, we may not be able to get over in time to exit.)
2. We use more gas. (Disclaimer: My friend (R.H.) told me that if you go over 65 mph that you use more gas. Not sure if this is true, but it sounded like it made sense...and it worked well for this post so I thought I'd include it LOL!)
3. We sometimes cannot avoid road hazards that could have otherwise been avoided.
4. We are more likely to be in a collision.
5. It is easier to loose control (especially if the weather conditions are bad).

Sometimes we don't realize we are speeding until it's too late - we hear a siren behind us or perhaps we see a fellow citizen pulled over on the side of the highway searching frantically for their insurance card and driver's license. Ah....a gentle reminder that the speed limit is strictly enforced - so we slam on our breaks and set our cruise control, removing our foot from the gas pedal because we do not trust ourselves...and breath a sigh of relief that we didn't get caught this time (except I did).

As God began to show me this picture (after I got my speeding ticket!), He immediately related it to my own life. When we get so busy , living each day hurriedly and frantically, there seems to never be enough hours to complete our tasks. It is easy to become agitated, frustrated, forgetful, distracted......any of these sound familiar? And most often it's because we have neglected the most important thing, spending time in the presence of God.

Some of the things that can happen if we are too busy:

1. We often miss important signs and strategic exits! (God is speaking and showing us things every day! Are we taking time to see? And in troubled times, He often provides for us a way of escape.....a strategic exit! But if we are not positioned to receive from Him, we miss out.)
2. We use more gas! Seriously....sometimes I am worn out before I even leave the house! Where's my phone? My keys? My list? Hurry Hurry Hurry! :) And by the end of the day.....I am ready to DROP!
3. Road Hazards! Often there are obstacles in our path that can be avoided. But if we are too distracted we may run them over, causing some serious damage!
4. More likely to CRASH! We can get so worn down from stress and/or lack of rest that we get physically sick and literally CRASH!
5. Losing control: When our life is out of balance and too busy, it is easy for things to get turned upside down. We may soon find our self trying to steer our way back onto the course God has set for us.

So how do we know if we are "speeding?" Maybe our speedometer is broken and we don't even know that we're about to crash. We must take a look at the things that occupy our time. How much time is set aside for us to get filled up and refreshed? We must go to the Master Mechanic and allow Him to inspect and repair what needs to be fixed! And make sure our cruise control is set to a safe speed limit! :)

(And always make sure your insurance card is in your car..........just sayin)

Beep Beep.