Hello, Amazing LE family.
Welcome back to another addition of the Significant 12 series.
Stone 10: The Balancing Act
Brrrrr… the cold winter is on its way! I am sitting here again in my garden, the weather has become colder and I am starting to feel the chill in the air. The scorching heat that we had has now gone reminding us that another season is here.
I am contemplating how I will begin to emerge from my season of rest, how I will continue to ensure I retain balance in my life as I serve God, help others, and look after myself and my own needs.
-The Key Scriptures-
-The Scales-
I am at the point in my life where God has brought about significant changes in my life. This has included changes in my ministry work, work life, church, family life, and friendship circles.
After making rest and restoration a priority and experiencing its true essence, now more than ever I want and need balance in my life IN ALL AREAS.
I have to be honest, the scales of my life had been truly unbalanced for many years. I often put everyone else’s needs before my own, or I would find myself overworking or taking on too many projects, just because I had the skills required to do them.
The plates of my life were spinning, FAST! my hands were well and truly full!
This season is going to be different I tell myself, In this season I plan to learn from my R&R and have a balanced life.
As I sit here I begin to think about everything I want to do, everything those around me expect me to do, but most importantly what God wants me to do!
-Take Note-
I then started by making a realistic list of my ‘to do’s’ and my ‘not to do’s’ over the next 6 months. This helped me to create the priorities in my life, which looked a little like this.
LE Safe Space Ministry (1 x per month)
LE Boundaries Course (1 x per month)
LE Blogs (1 x per month)
Ice Skating with Mum(Weekly)
Meet Regularly with Friends and Family
Work (3 days per week)
Swimming (2 x per week)
Service in Church (1 x per month)
Rest day (1 x per week)
Let my ‘No be NO’ and My ‘Yes be YES’ and no over-committing myself to anything or anyone!
Remember that everything I do in my journey must includes leisure, serving others in love, and prioritizing my relationship with God!
God wants us to be diligent in meeting others’ needs as well as managing our own. God doesn’t want us only to focus on ourselves but grow in Christlikeness as we give back to others.
THIS IS BALANCE!
-Praise & Worship-
Praise and worship is such an important part of connecting to God. This song helps me to usher myself into the presence of God and ask for more of Him in my life.
Listen to this amazing worship song- “Make Room feat. Elyssa Smith & Community Music (Live) [Official Lyric Video] – The Church Will Sing
Reflection and Meditation-
As you sit and reflect on this blog, I am pretty sure you have had some thoughts about your own life, and where you have or haven’t got the balance quite right. Perhaps my blog has also prompted you to think of thing ways to create balance in your life.
Here are some practical things you can do to create and keep a balanced life.
Establish Priorities Think about your life and set your priorities, regularly. Be still to think deeply about where you are going and what you will need to do to get there. We can learn from Jesus, we often see him taking time for himself away from the crowd.
“Jesus withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed” (Luke 5:16).
Set Realistic Goals Set goals that are well-balanced, realistic, and attainable—not too many. Write them down and work on them according to their importance. Ensure you pray for divine guidance in your goal setting.
“In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:6)
Budget Wisely We all face financial challenges in life and it can be really difficult to look at, however with wise budgeting, control your real needs and measure them carefully against your many wants in life. WANTS vs NEEDS
The prophet Jacob said to his people:
“Wherefore, do not spend money for that which is of no worth, nor your labor for that which cannot satisfy” (2 Nephi 9:51).
Build Relationships Build relationships with your family and friends through open and honest communication. Stay close to those who love and care for you, be that your parents, relatives, and friends. They will help you keep a balance in your life.
Get in the Word Search and study the scriptures. The bible is really one of the best sources we have to keep in touch with the Spirit of the Lord.
The Apostle Paul’s advice to Timothy is good counsel for each of us. He wrote-
“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16).
Take Care of Yourself This can be hard and many people, including myself, have difficulty finding the time for sufficient rest, exercise, and relaxation.
We really must schedule time within our daily calendars for activities we enjoy doing, if we are to enjoy a healthy and balanced life. Make your health and well-being a priority. Make sure to schedule time to rest, exercise, and engage in meaningful hobbies (i.e., painting, fishing, camping, furniture restoration.)
This will promote good physical health, and appearance as well as enhance our dignity, self-respect, and self-love.
Fellowship- Live the Gospel Find yourself a good church and godly family, where you can learn about the bible and grow together. This might mean joining a weekly bible study group or home group. When we neglect this, it can be easy to stray and become isolated.
Pray Pray often as individuals and with others. You can know the right decisions to make each day through constant, sincere prayer and good godly counsel.
“a voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.”Mark 1:3
Stay Focused and do Your Best
Stay tuned, and follow the journey to see how inviting God into your year, will bring Holy Spirit; Healing, Deliverance, Growth, Excitement, Hope and Transformation.
Below is a picture of my incomplete creative work that will encapsulate the year
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