Sometimes people talk about living a "balanced" life. If that's helpful to them, that's great. But to me it sounds too precarious. I don't think Jesus modeled a balanced life. He was radical. He rested when most people thought He shouldn't (i.e. in the middle of a storm) and He worked when people thought He should be resting (i.e. on the Sabbath). We're not called to be "balanced," we're called to follow Jesus.
I prefer to think of my life being in "tension" rather than in "balance." Jesus has asked me to invest myself 100% in my family, in my church, in my walk with Him, in my friendships (both in and out of the church), and so forth. Each of these act like a guy-wire that anchors me in who He's made me to be. If I let go of any, not only am I being disobedient to His call on my life, but I become unstable as a person.
Balance sounds like I'm supposed to do everything a little bit--divide myself up evenly (sounds like "mediocrity"). Tension (or "obedience," whichever you prefer) enables me to give myself 100% to what Jesus has asked me to do .
Friday, March 28, 2008
The Myth of "Balance"
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Hi Todd..Thanks for blogging, we totally enjoy your blog and you voicing your life for all to read.
Gutsy...there's a reason why I have not started a blog...some times are best to limit the # of people that see. LOL...:)-Anyway, I agree about the balance thing as it can come across as some sort of settling or complacency. It can also seem like
there's so much encouragement for 50/50...well here's to 80/20 or 90/10 even...Miss you guys.Ybarras
Yeah, complacency / apathy are really no fun at all. Often I find that they come from fear rather than laziness, though (at least in my life). I'm afraid that if I really go for it, I'll end up frazzled, burnt out, whatever. But "going for it" is always more energizing than apathy. BTW, I've heard rumor of a double-date in the works... Looking forward to that!
Post a Comment