So, trust the Lord always, because he is our Rock forever. (Isaiah 26:4)
Everywhere we turn we’re being urged to find balance. In advertising we’re given soothing images of candles, yoga, exercise, places to get away, etc. etc. etc.
During our son’s deployments, I struggled to find balance. But as I searched for that elusive peace, I began to ask myself what living a balanced life really entailed. And I came to a startling revelation.
A balanced life doesn’t look like we think it should.
I came to realize that balance wasn’t an exterior thing, it was an interior thing.
I don’t care how strict I was about planning, diet, exercise, even environment–times of chaos still erupted. I didn’t just experience this, as I prayed and read, I saw it in the life Jesus lived.
As I read through the New Testament, I saw that He had times when the crowds pushed in, clamoring for attention. Other times I read about how His followers disappointed Him. I even saw times when He was faced with unexpected (in a human sense) death.
But I discovered that within all of this, I saw a perfect example of living a life of balance. And it had nothing to do with what was going on around Him–much less planning, diet, exercise or environment. It had everything to do with allowing God to direct His steps.
To paraphrase a popular song, sometimes He calms the storms and sometimes He calms His child.
So when the fears and stresses of our son’s deployments pressed in, I turned inward, relying more on God than ever before. I looked to God for balance, not the circumstances around me.
