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The memory took me back to when I was around 10 or 11 years of age. A circus had come to our small town in South Africa. It could never compare with the magnificence of Cirque Du Soleil. It was merely a large tent with a couple of grandstand-style seats at each end, a bunch of clowns and an elephant that trumpeted all through the night to advertise their presence. A few of my buddies and I hung around the tent. Even though we couldn’t afford the cost of entrance, my buddies and I never missed a single show. We crawled under the tent and positioned ourselves under the grandstand so we could see between people’s legs.
The act that intrigued me the most was the tightrope walker. High above the ground, he danced and ran forward and backward on a thin piece of wire. I was hooked. I wanted to be a tightrope walker also. So after the circus left, I eyed the low, narrow wall between our backyard and the neighbor’s. It was the perfect alternative to a tightrope. However my first attempt failed. I just couldn’t keep my balance. Then I remembered that the circus guy always held a long pole. It must be the key to keeping his balance, I thought. I found a long piece of wood, and bingo — it was a breeze. After some practice I could actually walk the wall forward and backward without falling off.
What is your balancing pole?
The tightrope walker’s pole provides a perfect metaphor for what we all need to get us through this perilous life: a balancing pole. Trying to walk through life without balancing life’s many demands can be risky. More and more, people today are having a difficult time finding balance in their lives. One area of challenge is our work life. Because of the bad economic situation, many have to overwork and find it difficult to balance work with their family life. This morning, I counseled a pastor of a large church who was under enormous stress. His church had cut back a number of resources and expected him to pick up the slack. He was getting little sleep and beginning to show signs of serious stress disease. A recent study found that two out of every five employees were struggling to achieve a balance between their work and family lives.
Trying to find a balance is becoming even more challenging as we move farther down the digital road. Having to tweet, email or text, Facebook or YouTube, our digital world has unbalanced us even more. We are not spending time with our families, and many children are being robbed of their childhoods. Experts warn that finding a balance between the demands that technology is placing on us and our need for peace and tranquility is becoming increasingly difficult.
Find your balancing pole.
So what can help us achieve balance in our lives? Let me suggest a few crucial “balancing poles” you need to hang on to closely:
• Stay close to your family.
Immediate family, whether you are married or single, is the most important balance pole. About 12 years ago my middle daughter was widowed when her husband had a car accident. My grandchildren no longer had a father. It was a horrifying time for all of us. But we found our balance and comfort in drawing closer together as a family.
• Maintain good friendships.
Next to our immediate family, close friends can also serve as a balancer. We are not designed to find balance in isolation, but in community and close relationships.
• Clarify your life priorities.
The most unbalanced among us are usually those who have not prioritized the demands on their lives. Do you give more attention to work than to your family? If you do, you need a new balance pole!
• Don’t neglect your spiritual life.
The evidence is clear that in our modern go-go-go digital world we are spending less time in prayer than ever. That’s why Jesus said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” If you do, balance in ALL of your life will always be close by.
