Is Balance Over-Rated?
For most of my adult life I’ve tried to achieve some semblance of balance. I plan ahead, work ahead, and lay out what I need to do in order not to be swamped at the last minute. No matter how much I try, there are always those unexpected occurrences that lead to extra work. In ministry, there is no way to plan for a funeral. They happen when they happen and you just deal with it, trying to juggle the additional responsibilities. In families, kids get sick, requiring adjustments to schedules. We get sick. Family crisis are unpredictable and unplanned. That’s why I tried to work ahead so that when the unexpected happened, I was more able to handle them because I had kept on top of my workload. But sometimes I wonder, is this just another expression of an excessive need to control? Or, is balance over-rated?
Balance In Nature
When I look around me, at the beauty of creation, sometimes I see the most exquisite examples of balance. God formed the human body with care, down to the last molecule. How amazing that we are able to balance on our feet, and even dance to the rhythms of the universe. How awesome the delicate balance in our bodies that keeps blood flowing, oxygen pumping, nutrients reaching cells to keep us alive. When any of these are out of whack, cells break down and we become sick. Or the white blood cells that fight infection. You need just the right amount to keep the body in balance. Too little and you can be overrun by viruses, too much and you have autoimmune disorders where your bodies immune defenses fight your body. All examples of the importance of balance.
Outside I see the beauty of our ecosystem, with bees cross-pollinating flowers, creating honey and helping beautiful plants and flowers to grow and populate the outdoors. There is a fine balance in the eco-system that sustains this world. Remove one part of that balance and who knows what will happen. Remove the organism which feeds larger organisms, which feed animals, and you lose a whole species, becoming extinct, never to be seen again.
Abundance
Left to itself though, there is also an abundance in nature. Flowers grow wild and over take a path once trodden by hikers, creating beauty for all who pass. The stars in a dark sky spill out all over the dark expanse, more numerous than the sands on the beach. Wild berries fill the hungry mouth with sweetness, overflowing baskets. Fruit trees bend, laden with an abundance of pears, cherries, apples, oranges, the riches of fruit. It is the earth at its most bountiful, pouring out blessings. As Luke says, “A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap.” (6:38)
Jesus’ first miracle was a miracle of abundance at the wedding feast at Cana. Jesus turned water into wine providing abundantly for the wedding feast. And when the people were hungry, Jesus blessed the loaves and fish and there was enough for everyone to eat their fill and then some.
Is Balance Over-Rated?
This past Holy Week I lost my former boss, pastor, and friend, Fr. Jim Shaver. He was all about abundance not balance. He handed out $20 bills to the homeless who came to the rectory door with abandon, ignoring protests that they will only use the money for alcohol. “I buy things that aren’t good for me too,” he’d say. When budget cuts and eliminating positions at church were necessary, he found a way to create a position for me so that I could retain my health benefits. People were more important than a balanced budget for him. He indulged in sweets and loved concession food from the many sports events he attended, perhaps hastening his death, but what a life it was. Many loved him, filling the church at his funeral and overflowing into the church hall.
Sometimes it seems my need for balance is all about trying to control my life rather than enjoying the blessings that are mine for the taking. Don’t eat too much food, drink too much wine, or dance the night away lest you regret it in the morning. Certainly, there is wisdom in that. But oh, the joy in dancing until your feet ache!!!
Caretakers of Creation
God tells us in Genesis to subdue the earth. Nature run amok can be dangerous to earth’s inhabitants. Nature needs to have limits imposed. Weeds need to be pulled from gardens lest they choke young plants, trees need to be trimmed, paths forged through the woods, vines trimmed back. Cancer is cells run amok in the human body, growing and spreading where they don’t belong. Yes, sometimes abundance needs to be controlled, sometimes we need balance.
But oh, for those moments of wild abandon, of letting our hair down, drinking the finest wines, singing until the dawn breaks. Such is the heart of life. God rejoices with us in these times.
So again I ask, is balance over-rated? It is and it isn’t. Balance and Abundance. Both are necessary.
Earth Day April 23 – This Saturday we celebrate Earth Day. God calls us to be caretakers of creation. What are you doing to take care of your space on this earth?
In the Lord’s Garden – gardens are often seen as places for spiritual growth. My book, In the Lord’s Garden, explores the garden of ministry. A great tool for ministers, lay or ordained.
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