I might think of an instrument that weighs things.If I were in a park, I might think "see-saw".
If I were watching wildlife in Florida, I might think of a flamingo (a real one or those pink yard ones).
I might conjure up an image of someone doing a "tree" in yoga. (Have you tried a "tree" in yoga? It takes balance!)
Since I take taekwondo (though I'm on medical leave), I might think of the karate kid (original!) doing his balancing act on the stumps as he practices his jump kicks.
These are just a few images that come to mind when one starts to think about the word "balance". At the Hamilton County Fair, I saw balance in action. There were young people jumping on a grown up "see-saw" in perfect harmony with each other. Their timing was just so that there was balance in their jumping and floating. Then there were the other folks climbing up and balancing on chairs. Whew! Wooden leg against wooden leg. Fingers pulling their body weight up, up, up. Each person's body counteracting the weight of the other. Balance.
According to the Webster's II Children's Dictionary, "balance" means: 1. An instrument for weighing things. 2. A condition in which amounts, weights, forces, or power are equal. 3. Steadiness. 4. Something that is left over.
The young lady riding her unicycle in a previous blog had to learn balance. When she isn't able to balance, she falls.
Am I simply talking physical balance? Well, I do enjoy a good workout at the park on a see-saw and playing with balance and imbalance. But, no... I've been thinking about how balance plays a part in our lives. Just as a good see-saw ride must include ups and downs (and maybe the occasional KABUMP! so the other person pops off the end), so it seems that life in general must include some ups and downs.
I don't know about your life, but in my life I have been blessed to have quite a few folks join me in my journey and there have been quite a few that have blessed me to be a part of their journey. There are many people in my life that are a part of me being who I am. Some of those people live near enough to be in my daily or at least weekly life. Others live further away and maybe I don't see them or talk to them often, but they are there. Others may be worlds away even, yet are still connected.
One thing I have experienced in my journey is that there has typically been balance. When I'm down, other folks are up and can lift me back up. When they're down, I'm able to lift them up. And, from time to time, there has been the occasional KABUMP! where one of us has powered down enough to pop the other off of their seat, for one reason or another. :)
Who are the people on the journey with you that help you balance? Maybe they encourage you in your spiritual disciplines (practices). Maybe they hold you accountable. Maybe they pray with you and for you. Maybe they simply listen. Maybe they provide you the KABUMP! every now and then.
Dave Ramsey says we run on a 4-cylinder engine: our physical being, our intellectual being, our emotional being, our spiritual being. If one of those is out of whack, we're out of whack. Sometimes we can be out of whack in more than one area.
Is there an area of your life that is out of balance? If so, do what you need to do to get in back into balance.
Mark Davis wrote about the balance of spiritual healing and physical healing in his report this morning, about what we are to do and what we can expect God to do. Here are his words:
"The reason this subject matter is of importance in the “prayer and healing ministry” is because people ask for prayer from both approaches. Some folks are asking for a miracle when what they need to do is go to the doctor! Now don’t get me wrong, we should ALWAYS pray for our health, and not just pray, but pray BELIEVING! But God heals in many ways, and in different lengths of time. It is all according to HIS WISDOM, not ours. We should not demand he heal by a miracle, when what he wants is us for us to go to the doctor.
In my years of praying for miracles and healing, I would not ever tell someone, “Don’t go to the doctor.” God created the human body, and therefore the field of medicine. Everything that any medical person knows about health, that knowledge came from God, the inventor. And besides, the medical people have often, by their testing, confirmed many miracles! So go.
There are other folks asking for prayer who have done the opposite. They waited “way too long” to ask God for healing. They did everything else, and when all that failed, they came to God in desperation. Do you see why God might not perform a miraculous healing in this circumstance?
I invite you to learn how to “lean” in both directions! Trust God. Call on him. Believe him. Ask for miracles. At the same time, pursue medical help. Be proactive in staying healthy. God is not just the God of MIRACLES, he is also the God of PRINCIPLES! Don’t be one who so depends on miracles that you fail to follow God’s clear principles. Wouldn’t it seem a bit hypocritical to smoke a pack a day and then ask God to miraculously heal you of lung cancer!? Or to eat a terrible diet and ask God to miraculously heal your diabetes?!
But neither should you be one who thinks that God never passes outside the bounds of the natural, if he needs to, in order to accomplish his HIGHER PURPOSES. As a matter of fact, it appears to me that miracles are on the rise, and that God would do more miracles if we would only ask, and that a great revival is at hand!
Be aware also that these thoughts apply not just to physical health, but to every area … relationships, emotional health, church work, family life, all of life. (I had 2 men in a church once who detested each other. One was a hard laborer and church fix-er-up-er, the other always going to spiritual retreats. They couldn’t see that they needed each other, and the church needed them both. Nor could they see that their lives were out of balance, leaning heavily to one side.)
Now … for the question of EFFORT … God gives it HIS FULL EFFORT. And we depend on that. But we should imitate Him, and give Him OUR FULL EFFORT as well. He is always PRIMARY, but He has chosen for us to participate in His plan." (Mark Davis, the Healing Touch Report, 9/27/10)
Balance takes effort. Balance takes concentration. Balance takes time. Balance takes energy. No matter what area(s) in your life need balance, it is worth the investment!
What needs balance in my life? Quite a bit! It depends on what day (and moment) you catch me. :) What needs balance in your life?
Mark's words caught my attention this morning most likely because of my dealing with frozen shoulders since January and herniated discs in my neck since June. I've been walking through the healing process with doctors, physical therapy, and God. I will admit that it took me a while to ask some people to pray for my healing though. I was afraid to pray for healing. Though that might sound silly or odd coming from me, it is true. I was afraid to ask on several levels. Even so, God was faithful to me and allowed me some wrestling time to work it out. I did ask for prayer for healing. And, there at Soulfeast, surrounded by those in the butterfly house, I was prayed for. I received the prayers and accepted in faith the healing that was to come. Am I completely healed at this time? No. But, I am becoming healed. It is a journey.
Blessings on your journey. May balance be achieved!
~Debra
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