Have you ever read the dictionary definition of the word balance? If not, here it is:
"the state of having your weight spread equally so that you do not fall" or "a state in which different things occur in equal or proper amounts or have an equal or proper amount of importance."
Something that has been on my heart for many years now is the importance of solitude and community. I believe that the Lord calls us to find a balance between these two things. When we look at the life of Jesus, he modeled just this. There were times that Jesus went off and was alone and other times when we see him in community with his disciples.
Look back at the definition of balance, spreading ourselves equally so that we do not fall! We need community to support and encourage one another and to bring glory to the Lord together (see Hebrews 10:24-25). On the other hand, we need solitude time with the Lord to rest and dwell in His presence (see Psalm 62:5-6). Dietrich Bonhoeffer stated it this way: " Let him who cannot be alone beware of community. Let him who is not in community beware of being alone… Each by itself has profound pitfalls and perils. One who wants fellowship without solitude plunges into the void of words and feelings, and one who seeks solitude without fellowship perishes in the abyss of vanity, self-infatuation, and despair…Blessed is he who is alone in the strength of the fellowship and blessed is he who keeps the fellowship in the strength of aloneness. But the strength of aloneness and the strength of the fellowship is solely the strength of the Word of God, which is addressed to the individual in the fellowship."
And I cannot help but notice that there are so many areas of our lives that center around finding a balance. I was talking with a friend and we were discussing that exercising and making healthy eating choices is glorifying to the Lord. However, when we start to make an idol out of exercising and striving for the "perfect" body that we see in magazines (even though there is no such thing as a perfect body), then we fall. A discussion even came up yesterday with another friend about the balance of worship music. Have you ever noticed this at a church on a Sunday morning? There is usually time for both upbeat and slower songs, old and new songs, and so forth and so forth.
What are some other areas of our life that it is important to have balance in? Is there an area that is off balance right now and you need to take a step back to re-spread the weight a little bit?
"the state of having your weight spread equally so that you do not fall" or "a state in which different things occur in equal or proper amounts or have an equal or proper amount of importance."
Something that has been on my heart for many years now is the importance of solitude and community. I believe that the Lord calls us to find a balance between these two things. When we look at the life of Jesus, he modeled just this. There were times that Jesus went off and was alone and other times when we see him in community with his disciples.
Look back at the definition of balance, spreading ourselves equally so that we do not fall! We need community to support and encourage one another and to bring glory to the Lord together (see Hebrews 10:24-25). On the other hand, we need solitude time with the Lord to rest and dwell in His presence (see Psalm 62:5-6). Dietrich Bonhoeffer stated it this way: " Let him who cannot be alone beware of community. Let him who is not in community beware of being alone… Each by itself has profound pitfalls and perils. One who wants fellowship without solitude plunges into the void of words and feelings, and one who seeks solitude without fellowship perishes in the abyss of vanity, self-infatuation, and despair…Blessed is he who is alone in the strength of the fellowship and blessed is he who keeps the fellowship in the strength of aloneness. But the strength of aloneness and the strength of the fellowship is solely the strength of the Word of God, which is addressed to the individual in the fellowship."
And I cannot help but notice that there are so many areas of our lives that center around finding a balance. I was talking with a friend and we were discussing that exercising and making healthy eating choices is glorifying to the Lord. However, when we start to make an idol out of exercising and striving for the "perfect" body that we see in magazines (even though there is no such thing as a perfect body), then we fall. A discussion even came up yesterday with another friend about the balance of worship music. Have you ever noticed this at a church on a Sunday morning? There is usually time for both upbeat and slower songs, old and new songs, and so forth and so forth.
What are some other areas of our life that it is important to have balance in? Is there an area that is off balance right now and you need to take a step back to re-spread the weight a little bit?