Balance
A devotion looking at how we can lose our balance in life due to age, health issues, or other challenges and how we can rely on God to help correct our life to bring it into balance.
SCRIPTURE:
Honest scales and balances belong to the Lord; all the weights in the bag are of his making. —Proverbs 16:11—
THOUGHT:
I want to be honest. Typically, I only put an excerpt of a scripture in the devotional. Usually that is a perfect nugget of Gods’ Word. You can always take the liberty to go to back to the Bible and then look at the entire scripture to get a bigger picture of what He is saying or to illuminate the context. Yet, in this circumstance, I believe that the entire scripture (Proverbs 16) should be your first step in appreciating this devotional. Please take a moment to read the entire scripture.
Balance. As we grow older, it eludes us. A friend of mine has often said, “We’re just one fall away from a fractured hip”. Hard to listen to, but unfortunately, a true statement. In my 20’s and 30’s I would have thought of that as very unrealistic, negative thinking. Now though, …….well, it hits too close to home. Aging has a funny way of being way too honest.
Balance. In the middle of this pandemic, I feel like we are all walking the proverbial “tightrope” and are off-balance in our lives – emotionally, spiritually, physically, and mentally. Being off balance can be frightening and discouraging. Being off balance is partially due to the many choices and “life” questions we are facing that we never had to address previously. Shop in person or online? Go to a funeral or not? Masks or not? School in person or online? Which job should I take to keep my family safe? Will there be a vaccine in time? How do I help my friends who are out of work? How do I tell my child they cannot have their friends over for a birthday party? Do I use stimulus money to pay for groceries or buy more PPE? Is my computer sufficient for what I need it for in these times? How do I get through to the unemployment office and who is going to help me navigate the world of online applications when I am computer-challenged? Is my will up to date? These are all questions I have heard from friends. And the most poignant question of all, if I fall off the tightrope:
“Who will be there to catch me?”
The answer is simple. God. Now for those of you who say, “That’s easy for you to say but God won’t pay my rent”….please know that I am with you . I am not an unrealistic person. Yes, we have to be responsible for ourselves. We have to make decisions that are difficult. We have to proactively complete challenging tasks in the midst of this crisis.
Yet, when we lose our balance, God is there. I have had, and I venture to say you have also, the experience of waking in the middle of the night with these negative thoughts and been thrown into a panic. The only action that has helped me is to turn to my God. To reach out in prayer to the God Who is in control. To reach out in desperation to the God Who helps us balance. To reach out to the God Who sets up the tightrope of our journeys and is there with a net to catch us in His Arms. Even before we fall from the rope, He is teaching us how to navigate the tightrope. His Lessons in His Word include lessons, practice, repetition, trials, safe equipment, instructors, and so much more. Yet, being the Omniscient God He is, He also knows that we will fall along that rope and He has cushioned our fall. He never says we will not fall, only that he will be there when we do fall.
So, please join me in this precarious attempt to balance ourselves. Reach out to God when you are teetering way above safety. Reach out in prayer. Reach out in song. Reach out in meditation. Reach out to others. Reach out.
I am reminded of a line from the movie “The Miracle Worker” (about Helen Keller, both blind and deaf). Her teacher (and ultimately the one who saved her from desolation), Annie Sullivan, was trying to teach Helen about the world around her. It was a frustrating and seemingly impossible task. Finally, in desperation though, Annie shouted “Reach Helen, Reach!”. Helen, flailing her arms and frustrated at not being to see or hear, reached out and grasped her hand. That one touch, that one moment, ultimately led her to the freedom.
So…..Reach _______________(name), REACH out to our God. He will touch you and catch you.
PRAYER:
Father God, as I reach out to you, touch my hand and my heart. Catch me, lift me up, hold me, touch me, save me.
AMEN.
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