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So be careful how you live… Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Ephesians 5:15-16
Flipping and tumbling across the floor didn’t concern me. Even bouncing off the trampoline and flipping over the horse beam didn’t tax my nerves. Watching her swing round and round on the bars only made me a little nervous. What set my nerves on edge was the balance beam. The other gymnastic activities my daughter performed could have resulted in injury, but the balance beam appeared the most dangerous. Walking, jumping, and flipping on a piece of a narrow slither of wood simply didn’t seem safe. Happily, she never injured herself.
God wants me to balance my time just as my daughter balanced her body. Since I’m a “yes” man, this makes it easy for me to put too many irons in the fire. Satan uses my personality and tempts me to crave recognition and see how much I can accomplish in 24 hours. While I’m enjoying the adrenaline rush, my body is doing things God didn’t design it to do. Stress levels are rising, heart rate is accelerating, mood swings are increasing, and relationships are suffering.
Opportunities for good abound—in my circle of influence and across the world, but I can’t complete them all, nor does God expect me to. Doing too many good things at the same time results in stress and loss of joy. When this happens, Satan slips in and gives me a sour attitude which in turn usually leads to giving up everything. Performing good things with honorable intentions has the unfortunate potential of turning evil in the end if I’m not careful.
I balance my life not when I simultaneously do all the good things I see around me but when I do what God wants me to do. He will focus me in the direction he wants, and I discover that direction through prayer. Recognition from others shouldn’t be my goal. Performing for an audience of One should be my aim. What can you do to better balance your life?
Prayer: Remind us, dear Lord, that our responsibility isn’t to do all the good we see but only that which is in Your plan for us at any given moment.
(Photo courtesy of moreguefile and Melodi2.)
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