(continued from Part 1…)
So, yeah, my stomach turned. What had long been unspoken expectations in ministry had finally reared its ugly and verbal head. In an instant, the tables had turned and I had become Alice, trapped in the rabbit hole, afraid I would never get out of Wonderland. I was surrounded by men and women who were destined to inherit wind. And unfortunately, I was on the same pension plan.
Balance
It’s tough to find a better metaphor for a disciple than that of a tightrope walker. I am always amazed when watching them gingerly step out onto the rope, as if testing it’s surety. Step by step they methodically walk across the cable while gravity eagerly awaits their first misjudgement.
Jesus’ life is a beautiful blueprint for balance. He walked a fine, narrow course with the legalism of the Pharisees on one side and the hopelessness of “sinners” on the other. Of course, Scripture recounts how Satan was there eagerly awaiting a fall.
As disciples (not as ministers or leaders or workers or ___________), we are called to live a life of balance. A life of work and rest. A life of recreation and re-creation. A life in which I pour in to my own kids as much as other kids. A life of community that connects with other disciples in which we can share our struggles and pains and joys and victories. Because falling off the tightrope is much easier than walking it. And much more fatal, too. It’s not the wind I want to inherit. It’s the joy of reaching what’s on the other side of the cable.
Over 25 years of ministry, I’ve seen a definite pattern. God plants within us a seed of desire and passion. A good seed. A good desire. That drive stimulates us to do what we were born to do, whether it’s in ministry, teaching 3rd graders, fixing cars, or selling insurance. And because that seed has been hardwired in us, it permeates everything we do. We lie in bed thinking about ways to grow our ministry, see our 3rd graders excel, fix the transmission, or sell more insurance policies. We attack this passion with fury and determination–which is a good thing.
But soon we grow tired and in order to keep pursuing this ‘calling’ with the same intensity, we let other areas of our life slide and refocus the efforts on our seed. Without healthy balance and rest, we turn to unhealthy behaviors to make our spiritual and emotional ends meet. Before long we’re turning to those unhealthy options more regularly…and we grow more tired. And, once again, we gird up our determination to water our seed and see our God-given passion grow and produce fruit. Unfortunately, by this point, we’re trapped on the hamster wheel of this cycle without even knowing it.
So, what are we to do?
How do you balance your life? Your ministry?
What lessons have you learned that you'd be willing to pass along to the rest of us?