Balance

Well, the Olympics are over, so I've come back to the real world. Actually, I've pretty much been back in the real world since the first week ended. It just seemed like everything was anti-climactic after Michael Phelps won the 8th gold medal. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the other events. There just wasn't the same drama involved.

In honor of the ongoing controversy surrounding the gymnastics events I thought I would talk about balance. You know, I think the event that amazes me the most is the balance beam. The rest of it looks intimidating as well, but there's something about the thought of having to do all those flips, twists, twirls and jumps on a little 4 inch beam that stands 4 feet from the ground. These days I would be doing good to finish a cartwheel on the ground without landing on my bottom in embarrassment never mind trying to keep it on a beam. Those pint sized gymnasts do mind-boggling gymnastics on that narrow little beam - simply astounding!

I feel like I've been doing a little balance beam of my own in life lately. I'm trying to balance my daughter, my husband, my house, blogging, my music, photography, reading everything I can get my hands on about photography, learning Adobe Photoshop CS3, biking, scrapbooking and all the other little things that fall in between. To be honest, I don't really feel I have been excelling in any of these areas. The problem is that I feel inexplicably drawn to all of them - well, the "inexplicably" refers to the photography, blogging, etc. not to my family responsibilities. Those are extremely explicable.

In any case, the challenge now becomes: How do I balance all of these different areas of my life without neglecting any of them? Some might say that I need to downsize - you know, streamline a little. No one needs all of those things in his/her life, right? I might disagree with you on that point. Oh, some of those things can slide a little, but I truly believe that Papa has put each of these things in my life for a purpose (again this is not referring to my family - obviously, my family is number 1 on the priority list). I may not understand the reasons right now, but I feel that it is important for me to pursue each of these endeavors to the best of my abilities.

Where does that leave me? Well, it kind of leaves me on the balance beam of life. Those incredibly gifted athletes have to work not only to master each move of their routine. They also have to work to not let the pressure of the situation impact their performance. And I think that is one area where I have faltered as of late. I have allowed the pressure of daily life to distract me from the truly God-appointed things in my life.

It's funny but sometimes I get so ahead of myself that while I'm completing one thing, I am already thinking ahead to the next. That is not the best way to approach a task or goal - thinking past it to the next thing. I heard the commentators during the gymnastics (especially on balance beam) say again and again that it looked like the gymnast had tried to move on to the next element before completing the one they were performing. It resulted in everything from slight balance checks to 100% falls from the apparatus. So, it's proof-positive that I should keep myself reined in and complete one step at a time.

The scripture that really came to mind as I was writing this is John 15:1-5. I think it is an important reminder to me, and hopefully, to you:

¹I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. ²Every branch of mine that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. ³Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. ⁴Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. ⁵I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

In any case, I am purposing in my heart to put away the unimportant to focus on the Father-given passions in my life (family, blogging, my music, photography, etc.). The time-wasters will bear no fruit in my life, but if pruned and tended properly, the goals Papa has dropped into my heart will bear bushels of spiritual fruit. And I pray that as I walk this balance beam called life I will become more adept at keeping that balance with minimal wavering.