“It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to God’s loved one” (Psalm 127:2 NLT).
When my children were younger, we purchased a Wii gaming console. Part of the package was a balance board. It is a device that you place on the ground and is used for exercise or games. To begin, there is a “test” to measure your skills as a “baseline.” Afterwards, it marks your improvements.
As the family took the tests, I noticed that “a sense of balance” was an important measurement. As I stepped on the balance board, I thought, “This can’t be that hard.” Yah – right!
I received my score, and not surprising I learned that I lacked balance! The Wii program recommended exercises and games to help me develop my balance. Of course, I worked on it until I did not work on it! This tends to be how it goes in trying to find balance in our lives. When it is obvious that we are out of balance, we feel: worn out, on the verge of tears, challenged in our prayer time, or on the edge of anger or apathy – we are being reminded to take a step back off the tightrope of these situations in life and seek a different way.
Often, though, we cannot see that our life is out of balance. We are made aware of the problem when another points it out to us - like when the Wii test told me I needed to work on physical balance. We may intentionally work on developing balance in our lives for a short time, but we tend to set it aside. We feel fine, so why go through the effort?!
I think that this is the beauty of being a “Methodist.” Methodists strive to develop a method to order the action of our days, and this helps us maintain a life of balance, nurturing our spirits, minds, and bodies. Here is an open invitation that helps me. At the end of my day, I reflect on three simple questions: How have I nurtured my relationship with God today? How have I exercised and used my physical self today? What has given me joy? When I have fallen short, I ask God to help me improve. When I have hit the mark, I rejoice and praise God!
Spirit of God, as we sway to and fro, often feeling overwhelmed and tired. Help us to see YOU and hear YOU. Teach us to walk in ways that honor who You have created us to be, as whole being: mind, body, and spirit. Amen.