Leveling the Roads

Balance. One simple word that captivates all that we as teenagers strive for but can never seem to attain.  The concept of balance seems to be so trivial and should, in theory, be easy to understand and live out, however, fining a happy medium between tests and teammates, clubs and community service, family and friends, proves to be one of the greatest challenges we face. 

Because of our hard working attitudes, determination to succeed, and our subconscious programming to never settle for anything less than perfection, we tend to focus too hard on the small things that we forget to look at the greater picture.  If we take a second to step back from our routine, and think about our lives, many of us will find that they are truly unbalanced.    

Whether we focus too much on how we are doing in school, or how we are going to make it to all of our after-school activities on time, or even how others think of us, we are all leading unbalanced lives.

Although it may not seem like a major issue at the moment – maybe you see no problem with spending countless hours obsessing over something that will most likely be insignificant in the grand scheme of life – it is something that eventually becomes a serious problem.  When we focus too much on one aspect of life, we forget about all of the others.  This leads to serious losses in various parts of our lives, especially our relationships. 

Unfortunately, our relationship with God is the first that typically goes.  Since we do not see God directly on a day-to-day basis, it can be easy for Him to get pushed into the recesses of our mind by all of the things that are taking over our lives and causing them to be unbalanced.

It is in the recesses that God sits and waits for us to not only realize that we are missing out on a major part of life, but also to pull Him out, dust Him off, and ask for His help.  No matter how swamped we may seem and how deep of a hole we have dug ourselves into with our unbalanced life, God is always there to throw us a rope and tow us out.  It is through Him that we can figure out a plan to get back on track and it is only with His guidance that we can live a balanced life. 

This balanced life is one that will elevate our stresses, allow us to remember the truly important things, and remind us not to sweat the small stuff.  We will find ourselves at such peace, that we will wonder why we ever chose to worry endlessly about such trivial events as we did days, months or years ago.  It will help us to live out God’s word, and be role models for those around us who have yet to call upon Him to help them sort out their priorities and even out their lives.  Ultimately, by leading a balanced life, there is nothing that will be able to hinder our relationships, our priorities, or our attitudes. 

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

"There is a time for everything, and a season for all activity under the heavens:

A time to be born and a time to heal,

A time to tear down and a time to build,

A time to week and a time o laugh,

A ime to mourn an a time to dance,

A time to scatter snoes and a time to gather them,

A time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing.

A time to search and a time to give up,

A time to keep and a time to throw away,

A time to tear and a time to mend,

A time to be silent and a time to speak,

A time to love and a time to hate,

A time for war and a time for peace."