We Need Humility and Grace for Balance to Climb the Mountains of Life
Life is challenging.
Many mountains loom before us, and we can’t imagine how we will make it. Your mountain may be raising children or grandchildren. You may be navigating an illness, job loss, deadlines, debt, a demanding boss, a troubled marriage, or troubled teenagers.
Maybe your mountain is loneliness.
Maybe it’s grief.
Maybe it's sickness or an injury.
Can I tell you something that is interesting about the term “mountain” as used in the Bible? We always think of mountains as representative of difficult times. But mountains were a symbol of power.
How do we balance the good, the bad, and the ugly in our lives? How do we deal with these mountains demanding control of our days?
BALANCE & FOCUS
Life is challenging.
Many mountains loom before us, and we can’t imagine how we will make it. Your mountain may be raising children or grandchildren. You may be navigating an illness, job loss, deadlines, debt, a demanding boss, a troubled marriage, or troubled teenagers.
Maybe your mountain is loneliness.
Maybe it’s grief.
Maybe it's sickness or an injury.
Can I tell you something that is interesting about the term “mountain” as used in the Bible? We always think of mountains as representative of difficult times. But mountains were a symbol of power.
How do we balance the good, the bad, and the ugly in our lives? How do we deal with these mountains demanding control of our days?
BALANCE & FOCUS
5 Practical Ways to Find Balance in Your Life
1. Feed your body and soul.
Start every day with breakfast for your body and your spirit. This includes eating a healthy morning meal (not sugary cereal; think protein) and spending time in the Word. I know this is hard if you’re a mom with small children. You may have to eat your spiritual breakfast during nap time. It doesn’t have to be hours long either. Can you spare 10-20 minutes? It will be worth it!
2. Exercise your body and spirit.
Ya’ll, I’m preaching to myself too. I do great for about two weeks and then something happens like traveling, and I am not good at getting back into the rhythm of exercising. But when I do, oh man, do I feel better! My muscles may be screaming at me, but my spirit is lifted, and I have more energy to do what I need to do. I suggest 20 minutes, 30 max. Doctors recommend working out at least 4 times a week, but personally, if I miss one day, I’m less likely to be consistent.
Walking is the best exercise. Get outside! Put worship music in your ears and you are multi-tasking. Nothing like exercising your body and soul worshiping the one who told the sun when to rise.
3. Spend 20 minutes on household chores daily.
These chores may be on the inside of the house or the outside taking care of yard and plants. If I work a little bit every day on those chores, they aren’t such big mountains when the weekend comes. Daily focus eliminates weekly frustration.
4. Practice saying no to busy. (This involves humility.)
We can’t do everything.
List all your extra-curricular activities/volunteer positions. Which ones are you struggling to continue? Those need to go. I’m giving you permission. Here’s a great article on tactfully saying no to volunteer opportunities or stepping down from one.
5. Take a day off every week.
It’s called a Sabbath. It means cease from working, and in the Old Testament, the Sabbath lasted from sunrise to sunset. Yes, we live on the other side of the Cross, but intentionally resting during the week, demonstrates our trust in God’s wisdom, our obedience, and our humility. The world really won’t stop revolving if we take a day off. It doesn’t have to be on Saturday or Sunday, but we need a day set aside to rest. It is imperative to our balance. Work hard and then rest hard.
If video doesn't show below click here or view in your Browser: https://youtu.be/bhpItpOKnQE
1. Feed your body and soul.
Start every day with breakfast for your body and your spirit. This includes eating a healthy morning meal (not sugary cereal; think protein) and spending time in the Word. I know this is hard if you’re a mom with small children. You may have to eat your spiritual breakfast during nap time. It doesn’t have to be hours long either. Can you spare 10-20 minutes? It will be worth it!
2. Exercise your body and spirit.
Ya’ll, I’m preaching to myself too. I do great for about two weeks and then something happens like traveling, and I am not good at getting back into the rhythm of exercising. But when I do, oh man, do I feel better! My muscles may be screaming at me, but my spirit is lifted, and I have more energy to do what I need to do. I suggest 20 minutes, 30 max. Doctors recommend working out at least 4 times a week, but personally, if I miss one day, I’m less likely to be consistent.
Walking is the best exercise. Get outside! Put worship music in your ears and you are multi-tasking. Nothing like exercising your body and soul worshiping the one who told the sun when to rise.
3. Spend 20 minutes on household chores daily.
These chores may be on the inside of the house or the outside taking care of yard and plants. If I work a little bit every day on those chores, they aren’t such big mountains when the weekend comes. Daily focus eliminates weekly frustration.
4. Practice saying no to busy. (This involves humility.)
We can’t do everything.
List all your extra-curricular activities/volunteer positions. Which ones are you struggling to continue? Those need to go. I’m giving you permission. Here’s a great article on tactfully saying no to volunteer opportunities or stepping down from one.
5. Take a day off every week.
It’s called a Sabbath. It means cease from working, and in the Old Testament, the Sabbath lasted from sunrise to sunset. Yes, we live on the other side of the Cross, but intentionally resting during the week, demonstrates our trust in God’s wisdom, our obedience, and our humility. The world really won’t stop revolving if we take a day off. It doesn’t have to be on Saturday or Sunday, but we need a day set aside to rest. It is imperative to our balance. Work hard and then rest hard.
If video doesn't show below click here or view in your Browser: https://youtu.be/bhpItpOKnQE
ACTION STEP: Balance and focus are two disciples every christian needs to incorporate in their life. It's been hard with COVID. It's been hard with my knee injury. I have not been able to exercise for over a year. Every muscle in my body atrophied, and then I went into antiphylatic shock due to a tooth issue and had complications. My focus was being stolen daily. Running focused me. I had to stop running due to a torn meniscus. Then, I had surgery to repair the tear. Now, I am recovering. Life happens. The enemy of our life wants to steal, kill and destroy and will use anything he can to get us off balance and un-focused. Refuse to let the enemy win. Fight back. Set goals.
Read: 2 Samuel 2:10-12. Courageous one, sometimes you simply have to stand your ground and beat back the enemy from your place of abundance. Remember Shammah, he was 5th in rank of David’s mightiest men. A son of a mountaineer, he stood in the center of the abundant field of lentils. He beat back his enemies and gained a mighty deliverance. Where others fled, Shammah was an astonishment and not only stood his ground in a place of abundance, but also in living out his name and calling.
I am getting stronger every day. I will weigh what I weighed pre-injury. I will run my race 10/10/2021. I will grow stronger body, soul and spirit.
I believe in you and you need to believe in yourself.
Read: 2 Samuel 2:10-12. Courageous one, sometimes you simply have to stand your ground and beat back the enemy from your place of abundance. Remember Shammah, he was 5th in rank of David’s mightiest men. A son of a mountaineer, he stood in the center of the abundant field of lentils. He beat back his enemies and gained a mighty deliverance. Where others fled, Shammah was an astonishment and not only stood his ground in a place of abundance, but also in living out his name and calling.
I am getting stronger every day. I will weigh what I weighed pre-injury. I will run my race 10/10/2021. I will grow stronger body, soul and spirit.
I believe in you and you need to believe in yourself.
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