Balance of the Mind Pt. 4

When I understand the “why” of a thing I can make a more informed decision as to whether I want to “buy into” or not.  In yesterday’s declaration (blog) we discussed some of the reasons why balance is important: 

1.     Too much of anything can be unhealthy, counterproductive and/or plain old destructive;

2.     The lack of balance can destroy our witness; and

3.     People may assume we’re a little “off”, that we are mentally unstable;

It goes without saying that God is and should always be our priority, however, that does not give us permission to neglect our responsibilities as spouses, parents, adult children, employees, employers, team members, co-workers, neighbors, members of society and human beings.  Why? Because we live on earth and there are certain responsibilities we have as “growd” up people like earning a living, so you can provide for your family, assist with kingdom building, etc.  

As Born Again Believers (BABs) we do not have the right to obnoxiously force our doctrinal beliefs and/or religious convictions down the throats of others.  Just as God gave us a free will of choice as to whether we serve him or not, we have to, do you hear me, we have to extend the same courtesy to those who are not of the same faith (e.g. Jehovah’s Witnesses, Muslims, etc.)

The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it. But the Lord God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden—except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.”  Genesis 2:15-17 (NLT)

Before you run out and accuse me of saying we’re converting Declare Victory to Muslim Witness, let me be very clear.  I am not saying that we have to accept the doctrinal beliefs of other religions and attend their gathering places.  I said we have to treat them with respect, dignity and refrain from being judgmental or downright prejudice.  Hebrews 12:14 (CEB):  Pursue the goal of peace along with everyone—and holiness as well, because no one will see the Lord without it.  It won’t kill you or make you backslide to say good morning or even read about their religious practices so that you have some commonality and engage in meaningful dialogue. Who knows it may lead to an opportunity for you to share your belief in the One True and Living God, unless of course your faith in God is so shallow that you might convert to another religion just by reading about it.  Knowledge is power. 

Tania Not Tanya nugget:  This is going to sound like an oxymoron, but I believe imbalance is a necessity in order to gain balance.  How else would you have a benchmark, a starting place without the imbalance?  The imbalance allows us to mark our behaviors and beliefs habits at our worst.  The quest for balance allows us to leave that place and strive for new footing in that particular area and if by chance we find ourselves slipping back to that place, we can recognize it, stop it and work towards balance.  

Balance: How Do We Achieve It?

Performing a self-check is always necessary.  You have to be willing to ask yourself the question.  Look yourself in the mirror and ask the question, _________(your name) are you out of balance?  Keep your eyes on the mirror and allow yourself to respond.

Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith. 1 Corinthians 13:5 (NLT)

Part of your self-check may include your activities.  How much time do you spend outside of the home (excluding work)? 

·       Church: Are you at church every time the doors open?  Are you on multiple committees, groups, boards, etc. that meet in the evenings?  Does your involvement cost you additional family time outside of the regular committee-board-group meetings?  If there is a revival during the week and you have minor children are you at the revival every night with your kids (sacrificing dinner, homework and causing them to be late for school the next morning?) or are you leaving them at home unattended allowing time for them to get into who knows what?

o   I was an expert at doing my dirt when my parents went to church, don’t play

·       Outside Influences:  Married or not do you allow other people to influence you from doing the things you need to do and regret it later?

·       Health: Do you have an exercise regimen? Can’t afford a gym, use the stairs at work, walk on your lunch hour, eat at your desk, walk on your breaks; exercise while you’re on the “Call”

·       Nutrition: How much fast food, desserts, sugary drinks do you consume in a day?  Cut back to half that time and slowly eliminate those foods as main staples.  Americans eat way too much fast food and sugar.  Garbage in, garbage out.

o   Make time at least once a week to purchase healthy lunch/snack items: pre-cut vegetables, fruit, nuts, dried fruit, popcorn, pretzels.  Keep some at work, at home and if you drive a lot keep some in the car so you’re not tempted for a Whopper on the way home.  Yes it is more expensive, but are you worth it?  Can you cut back in another area in order to free up more funds for the healthier items?  What about a farmer’s market?

o   Cook larger portions of dinner food that can be used as lunch the next day

o   Invest in a slow cooker (beans, stews, soups, roast, etc.)

o   If you have to go to a fast food place opt for a salad with grilled chicken and water, etc.

o   Cut back

Balance v. Imbalance:

Spouse:  you know your spouse better than anyone else (if you don’t that’s a separate declaration) but if they start making hints, showing signs of irritation about a particular thing you are doing (exercising, hanging out with your friends/family, etc.) this is a good time to do a self-check and/or even talk with them about it. 

In cases where your spouse is jealous by nature, intimidated by you, attempting to sabotage your growth, etc. you should still do a self-check and you may want to consider ways that you can continue the “thing” without taking time from him/her

Minor Children: Some children are very good at manipulating situations to get what they want.  If their behavior is changing, they aren’t performing as well in school, there is more resistance to attending church, etc. This could be a sign that they need more of your attention.

Children:  Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.  Ephesians 6:4 (NLT)

Employer:  Your employer did not hire you to pray, study the word and do your church and/or volunteer projects at work.  What you do on your lunch hour or breaks is your business because that is your time, however, your employer has purchased the rest of your work time.

Without being super spiritual I can tell you that 99.9% of us on this call are out of balance in at least one area (e.g. health/nutrition, finances, emotionally, etc.)  It doesn’t necessarily mean we need to do a complete overhaul of our lives, it may mean something as simple as taking some down time (a few hours on a Saturday) and doing some internal work.  On challenges that are a little more serious you will have to do a little more work to get past the obstacles, but it will be worth whatever you need to do to get out of the “bad” habit, learned behavior or free yourself from your past.  Why? 

·       If you don’t make the corrections, life might come along and make you correct it;

·       You may never reach your purpose if you don’t do the work;

·       Because you are worth it;

·       We need you, not part of you all of you

·       We want to see you whole, in balance and thriving instead of surviving

Clearly, all of the above must be done in balance (no pun intended).  Periodic self-checks are a necessity (just as periodic oil changes for your vehicle).  It's also important to listen, analyze, and pray about things that are brought to your attention by friends, family and co-workers/supervisors to ensure it's not a trick of the enemy or self.  However, it's important not to have a closed mind to what could be truth especially if multiple people -- that are not connected to each other -- have raised the same or similar issue(s) do a self-check; and make necessary adjustments where needed.  If you’re stuck and need help, ask for it.

Open your eyes; Take the blindfold off; Get your head out of the sand; Wake up and smell the coffee; whatever you need to do to, to get balance and keep it. 

In His New and Excellent Service

Tania Not Tanya