And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. ~ Colossians 3:17

“Never get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.” ~ Dolly Parton

One of the many difficulties we all face in life is finding a balance. I am honestly quite torn on how I feel about that word - balance. Because it doesn’t actually feel achievable. Balance is a scale that holds the various pieces of our lives in an equal way. Yet, how can we find that equal balance when life comes in waves? I think that maybe the balance should look more like a flow. 

There are times that school takes up more of our energy and life, then maybe later family time will take the major share. In seasons, you may be able to spend hours on prayer and journaling, while other times, it might look like tiny cracks of time spent praying or listening to the Bible. Sometimes we can spend hours pursuing our passions and hobbies, while other times we can only fit in time for ourselves when everyone else in our home is asleep. 

This can be very frustrating! But it’s also the way life works. There is a time for everything. So how can we find a balance and a flow in the busyness of life? Let’s get into it!

THERE IS A TIME FOR EVERYTHING

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven. ~ Ecclesiastes 3:1 

One of my favorite songs is Vienna by Billy Joel, there is one line that just lives in my head all the time. 

Slow down you're doing fine

You can't be everything you want to be before your time

I feel like he is personally reminding me that there is time for everything, there is space for all my dreams and hopes. I feel like often we can get so worried and worked up about how not everything can fit into this time right now. In order to find a balance, we need to let go of the pressure to do it all right now. 

Instead, we can prioritize! 

Prioritizing allows us to use our time wisely. It gives us the ability to make decisions, because we know what matters most to us. This can also lead us to make more space for the things that matter the most right now, and trust that there will be time for other things in the future. Priorities give weight to what we want most out of life, and not just what is demanding the most out of us. 

Give yourself the gift of priorities! I like to pray and journal and reflect. Then as my priorities become clear, I can write them out. I put them in places where I can read and review them regularly. I also set them out to look at them as I create our schedule and calendar for the year. It’s such a great way to build a calendar that reflects what I most want out of life. 

MAKE TIME

“You will never find time for anything. If you want time, you must make it.” ~ Charles Buxton

The flow and balance of your life will not happen automatically. It will not happen because you talk about it, or think about it, or even because you start to put together plans. There is no one who will show up at your door to organize your life for you and help you achieve balance. As much as I really wish Mary Poppins would whisk down on her umbrella and just magically turn my life into exactly what it should be… that’s not the way it works. 

So how do you go from lovely thoughts about your priorities and the flow you want in your life into actually living it?! You start taking action. 

1. Start with that list of priorities you have put together. This will guide your decisions going forward. 
2. Put time in your calendar, whether it’s an app or a paper calendar, for the things that matter most. 
3. Then fill in the other time with things you know you will need to do - work, school, cleaning the house, laundry, etc.
4. Don’t forget to add in a time to review how this has been working for you. Maybe it's half a day where you can review and reflect. 
5. Then start to follow that calendar! Be flexible when you need to. But also trust that this calendar is an accurate reflection of the balance you want the most in your life. 

BE LIKE A BOAT

“Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.” ~ Albert Einstein

I don’t actually know very much about boats. However, one thing that I do know, they float. Waves come and rock the boat. They can be big or little. Yet despite all of the waves around it, the boat continues on. It has found a balance. 

No matter what comes at you, how can you find your balance and flow? How can you continue to float? You adjust and refocus on your priorities. Balance is not something that you achieve once, and it will last forever. It is something that must be fought for and worked on. 

If we want to have balance in our life, then we need to work on it. This can look like watching for things that might tip us over, so we can be prepared. It can also mean being willing to adjust our priorities and calendar so that we can find that balance again. 

Balance may be something that we all talk about wanting to achieve, but it won’t just show up. So, if you really do want to create balance in your life, you must put in the time and effort to create it. You must also be ready to make changes and adjustments. 

At the end of all of this adjusting and planning, the hope is that you have balance. That you feel like you are spending the right amount of time on each piece of your life. That your life reflects what you most want. It can be as simple as having time for you to enjoy a cup of coffee alone and in peace in the morning. Or it can be more complicated, like making sure you get to plan and do all the family traditions you have dreamed of. 

What does balance look like in your life? 

“You don’t have to make yourself miserable to be successful.” ~ Andrew Wilkinson, founder of MetaLab

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. ~Romans 12:2

And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” ~Luke 10:27

“No one on his deathbed ever said, ‘I wish I had spent more time at the office." ~ Paul Tsongas, Politician