Photo by Leio McLaren (@leiomclaren) on Unsplash
Balance.
Like the trapeze artist who delicately stays on the wire
Balanced high above the crowd.
I am the one who never seems to be in that place.
Balance.
So elusive.
It takes coordination
Something that was never one of my gifts.
It also takes organization
Another gift that did not come naturally.
Yes, I can be organized…if I work at it very hard
And concentrate
But it is definitely not something that is native to my soul.
Do I like the fruits of organization?
Of course, I love them!
Order, space, knowing where I am headed, knowing what is coming my way.
These are a few of the things I love about organization.
But it is not something that comes naturally to me.
I am one of those people that is naturally a little off balance.
I’m catty wampus, off kilter.
I function in spurts. stop
I used to try to work differently
Until I realized this was how I function best.
I don’t work well on a regular continuum.
I do better in bursts of creative energy with pauses.
Yes, I did fine when I had to work as a nurse.
But even there,
The job functions in fits and starts.
A shift has bursts of energy and quiet periods for charting…usually!
GOD made me the way I am to do something for His glory.
I need discipline to my life for sure.
But I also need to recognize that my work will probably always be done in spurts.
That is the way I am made.
I am not a tortoise.
I am a hare in many ways.
I just need to be sure I don’t get cocky
So I finish the race.
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize?
So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things.
They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.
So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air.
But I discipline my body and keep it under control,
lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.I Corinthian 9:24-27 ESV
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,
let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely,
and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith,
who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross,
despising the shame,
and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.Hebrew 12:1-2 ESV
I think recognising our natural personalities and how God has made us can help us in finding the balance that’s right for us even if it’s different to others’.
i agree lesley. sometimes, we allow everyone else to define “normal” and their definition of normal isn’t always the case. it sometimes takes awhile for us to know what is “normal” for us and what needs discipline.
I wrote about gymnasts and how they have to balance on different aparatus. I’m like you. I’m not very graceful either. I’m in the 40 spot this week.
great tara:) i’ll hope over there to read it.
“Order, space, knowing where I am headed, knowing what is coming my way.
These are a few of the things I love about organization.
But it is not something that comes naturally to me.”
Don’t worry, Martha, I’m an organizer and I still never really find balance. There is no magic recipe for balance. I believe that the balance we all seek is actually false. Balance really only comes from knowing Christ. Best wishes as you embark on this Holiday season. Visiting from FMF.
i think you are so right lauren:) the idea that finding complete order in our lives, we will find balance, is a bit of a pipe dream. He is the one who can bring meaning to our lives and fill those empty places.
i do think that for some of us, living an organized life is more of a challenge than for others of us. I have some more organized habits than i once did. that helps. but i will never be really well organized in the sense that some people are.
btw, welcome:)