Theme: Finding Balance

Verse: Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8

What is the right balance between exercise and rest? Those who know me would say I am probably the one person on the planet totally unqualified to answer that question.

God creation is us is truly remarkable. It comes equipped with a self-regulator that tells us when we are doing too much (IF WE PAY ATTENTION). Long before watches told us our heartrate, counted our steps, and told us what we ate for breakfast, we learned that the body sends us messages about our effort level. For example, how much can you talk during a run? On long runs, you can probably carry on a conversation, but when doing interval work two or three words at a time is probably all you can muster.

Listening to ourselves does not simply go for exercise. We can self-evaluate our lives to see when they get out of balance. This imbalance can come in many forms; too much (or too little) work, over emphasis on watching sports (did I really say that?), overspending, too much screen time. If we are honest with ourselves, we generally know when any of these are happening.

As I have noted several times, we all have 168 hours in a week, which is really plenty to fit it all in. There is time for exercise, work (school), building/maintaining relationships, and yes, quiet meditation and reflection. For the latter, you can start with the verse for this devotional. (If you are older than 50 you may just start singing a chart-topping song from 1965 by “The Byrds”)

You are reading this the day after Thanksgiving, so we have entered “The Season”. The holidays can be very stressful and time-consuming. The challenge is to be pro-active, recognize that imbalance can be a potential problem and make this season not only the Season of Joy, but the Season of Balance!

Have a great week!

Adapted from They Will Run and Not Grow Weary by David Alan Black