7 Scriptures On Balance in our Lives

Have you experienced the need for balance in your life?

Does it seem that it’s impossible to reach?

Do you question if balance is even possible or good?

I’ve asked that same question, and I’ve come to the conclusion that balance is essential to live healthy, productive lives, but it isn’t always pretty. As we embark on a new year with all our resolutions and new goals, we need to keep balance in mind. That takes wisdom and humility. In fact, I’m humbly submitting this “refreshed” post because this week I needed to balance. And I thought we all could use the refresher. :) It’s also been one of the most viewed posts this year. It’s needed.

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.

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?

Taking Care of Your Inside and Outside

I’m going to give you some practical answers and then the spiritual ones that will help with the practical. We can’t ignore the fact that our mind, body, and soul are all connected. The way we care for each of these areas in our lives will affect the other two. I’ve found in my life, my best days were the ones when I included exercise, Bible study, and intentional worship.

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. (You’ve got an easy Bible reading plan right here!) 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 travelling, 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.

Balance Heart and Home

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.

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 to 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 intentional rest 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. Here’s my article on rest and the Bible reading plan. 

And that brings us to this week’s Bite of Bread Bible reading plan which you can use for step 1–feeding your soul.

Sneak Peek of Verses and Prompts on Printable

Monday: Ecclesiastes 3: 1: There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:

• Does this scripture give you grace in the balance? Does it help you see how important it is to live one day at a time and to balance the good with the bad, the hard with the easy. List the things in your life that were hard and how they changed in the next season. How does this help you today with the hard things?

Tuesday: Isaiah 28:24: When a farmer plows for planting, does he plow continually? Does he keep on breaking up and working the soil?

• If you kept reading this passage, the answer is no, of course not! The farmer plows the field, prepares the soil and then plants the seed. What have you been so focused on doing, working, that you haven’t noticed that you need to stop that and plant some seeds? Where will you sow seeds of love, joy, peace, and grace today?

Wednesday: Matthew 23:23: “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.”

• What is the balance Jesus is talking about in this verse? How does it apply to your life?

Perspective Helps Balance

Thursday: Micah 6:8: He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly^a] with your God.

• This is where heaven and earth meet. How balanced is your faith in light of this verse?

Friday: 2 Thess. 2:16: May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope,¹⁷ encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.

• Write down a prayer of thanksgiving for His grace, and ask Him for His empowering grace to do all He has for you today.

Saturday: Deuteronomy 15:10: Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to.

• This scripture is about the blessing and balance of giving cheerfully and working diligently. Have you given to someone hoping God would bless you while you sat on your hands? Do you think this verse still applies today? Why?

Take the Printable with you!

Sunday: Luke 10:40:  But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

• The balance. We need to work, eat, and serve, but we also need to sit at His feet. Jesus said, “Mary has chosen the good portion and it will not be taken away from her.” Make some extra time for Jesus today.

1. Download the Free Printable to enjoy during your time in the Word.

Holy Spirit’s Help

The practical steps are good. They will help find balance, but we cannot do this on our own. We can’t climb life’s mountains balanced without God’s empowering grace.

Ask for His grace when you find yourself unbalanced and near the cliff’s edge. God’s grace, His favor, will give you the wisdom, strength, and courage you need.

When you feel out of control, stop. Take a break, and go to the mountain of God (the place of worship.) Listen for Holy Spirit’s guidance even in the smallest of  things on your “to do” list.

I want to live my life as Jesus did. He said and did only what God told Him to do.

 “Truly, truly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing by Himself, unless He sees the Father doing it. For whatever the Father does, the Son also does” John 5:19.

Is that possible for us? I think so. We just have to practice His Presence.

Digging Deep with Balance,

Andy

P.S.S. If this post was encouraging, and you don’t want to miss any Bite of Bread reading plans and posts, subscribe today! You’ll receive a 22-Day Devotion on Psalm 119 called Finding the Beauty {Full} in God’s Word.Just click here to dig deep to live fully. 🙂