faith unfaded

Last year my word was ENOUGH. I had to learn that I was enough. I was enough for Him and He was enough for me.

This year I’ve learned BALANCE.

I used to hate the mundane. I preferred the excitement of the roller coaster and all its theatrics. If I could hold on during the valleys, I’d be able to relish the mountains.

Only the valleys sometimes got so dark I wasn’t sure I’d survive.

With surrender came more of an even keel, a kiddie coaster if you will. Still ups and downs but without the darkness and fear that once plagued me.

Balance.

FOMO and JOMO evened out like the scales in The Balance Game on The Price is Right. I’ll spend a week in Nashville or Baton Rouge and have enough experiences to last a year but then come home and be in bed with a book and my dog by 7 PM for the next two months.

Balance.

One of the tougher balance lessons involved mental health. There’s a fine line between perseverance and self-care and I struggled to find it for years. Literally going to bed and pulling the covers over my head for months wasn’t self-care; it was self-sabotage. Pushing through and running on fumes wasn’t admirable; it was idiotic.

Learning how to prioritize your own well-being unselfishly while honoring both your commitments and yourself is an art form!

Balance.

The seesaw glides effortlessly in other areas of my life now too. Viewing life with the carefree wonder of a child and being a responsible adult. Balance. Working to achieve goals and dreams while carving out time for fun. Balance. Writing about stuff that matters while also covering the much-needed fluff. Balance. Following the Great Commission while also enjoying lighthearted entertainment fare. Balance. Cherishing time with family while spending time helping those in need. Balance. Working vs. playing vs. volunteering vs. rest. A double seesaw.

The fulcrum is Christ.

Have you ever tried to seesaw with a child? Either you bear the brunt on your legs balancing out the weight difference or you wear your arm out moving the seat up and down for the child to enjoy a smooth ride. Exhausting!

It is the same when we try to balance our life in Christ on our own. We get worn out. Yet when we surrender our entire lives to Christ, He becomes the center who moves the teeter-totter effortlessly, no matter how unbalanced the sides are.

A just weight and balance are the Lord’s: all the weights of the bag are his work. Proverbs 16:11