I'm Unbalanced

One of the things that I've struggled with, ever since Danielle and I became a couple and then parents, has been the idea of balance. It's one thing to pour yourself into work and then go hang out with your co-workers when you're off the clock. It's another to handle work and family and leisure, and feel like you're giving all three their proper due.

Given that, I've been very interested in this week's series on LifeChurch's Swerve blog. For those of you who don't know, LifeChurch is on the cutting edge of church presentation, from promotions to worship service production. Swerve is Pastor Craig Groeschel's blog, mostly for church leadership, but very appropriate for anyone who works in a church setting.

Anyhow, Craig's topic this week is "The Myth of the Balanced Life." And he didn't pull any punches in his first post:

One of the most common topics people ask me about is how I balance my life, family, and ministry.

My response is simple, “I don’t live a balanced life.”

In my opinion, the balanced life is unachievable and unbiblical.

Jesus didn’t call us to live a balanced life. He called us to follow Him.

Not sure if I fully agree with the idea that the balanced life is unbiblical, but I think there is something to it. The more that you struggle to keep things in balance, the more likely you are to either fall short in an area or compromise yourself to make it happen.

But if you (and, most importantly, your family) are willing to treat things like an amoeba--adjusting your emphasis as needed--then you can live life not in balance, but in something more like harmony.

There's nothing that says that my life has to be 33% work, 33% family, and 34% leisure (hey, I needed to make it add up to 100%). But during one season, it might be 60% work, 30% family, and 10% leisure. Another time, it might be 30% work, 50% family, and 20% leisure. Either way, that is the situation that God has put us in.

Like I said, it's the kind of thing that requires a spouse and children who are willing to roll with the seasons. And I'm lucky that I have a wife who does understand, and children who love me dearly.