“Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul? Why are you crying the blues? Fix my eyes on God – soon I’ll be praising again. He puts a smile on my face. He’s my God.” (Psalm 42:5 The Message Bible)
Here is your Monday Short Meditation. Well, at least I’ll try to keep it short. I have a desk décor item that says, “Choose balance and you will create calm.” I suppose that is short and sweet to help one keep from being anxious or even downhearted or depressed. However, the desk décor item does not tell me what is meant by “choose balance.” You might ask the same question if you were to read the imprinted message on this wooden item that has a perfect place in my house.
So, let me share with you how I believe you choose balance. A combination of things are involved. Let’s call them balance needs. You need friends. (Hopefully your friends will be brothers or sisters in the Lord and you can also attest with sincerity claiming, “What a friend we have in Jesus.”) You need exercise. (That’s a tough one to keep up with on a regular basis, but it is necessary.) You need to experience love, agape love, whether giving or receiving, but hopefully both. You need intellectual challenges. (If you want intellectual challenges and you are beyond the days of attending mandatory classes at any level, you can get deep into the word of God, studying to show yourself approved.) You need to avoid being too cognitive, thinking all the time. You need something to do enjoyable, something that falls within the boundaries of righteousness, maybe something recreational, not including an overload of social media or being on the computer, indulging in advanced games that were once designed for young children. Perhaps a project, possibly a hobby, or perchance finding joy in helping others will meet this need. By doing these six things you will be choosing balance. At least you will greatly increase your achieving a balanced life.
Opps, I only gave you six things! Seven symbolizes completeness! Wow! I see what happened! I left out the most important thing to tell you to ensure you are appropriately choosing balance. What did I leave out? I left out that which we will group under “the spiritual.” And by that I mean you need to spend time with God, in the dialogue called prayer, and in striving to let His will supersede your will, in worship, and by doing things for the kingdom of God; fulfilling your purpose. You cannot have either balance or calm without God; God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit!
Seek to achieve a balanced life in the days ahead, by all means. But don’t leave out God. Stay God-conscious and Christ centered. It is a new day, so set your hopes anew. Be blessed!
“So each generation should set its hope anew on God, not forgetting his glorious miracles and obeying his commands.” (Psalm 78:7 NLT)
Mark L. King