Balancing Act: 13 September 2009

A buzz word I’ve heard many times over the past months is balance. We balance our checkbooks, gymnasts balance on beams, there are scales that balance. From what I’ve observed, our four-legged and feathered friends who live in the elements of nature instinctively know how to achieve balance. For example birds migrate at the appropriate times of the year and other animals hibernate during winter. They just know when it’s time to head north or south or when to rest. But when it comes to us humans and our lives, having or feeling an inner sense of balance can be so illusive.

We sure can be a driven people – always doing, working, engaging in some or another activity. Then throw in an unexpected crisis and we are called upon to navigate our way through difficulties that in a flash drains any sense of balance we may feel. As we get older and our children have grown, left home and started families and/or careers of their own we find they are no longer so dependent upon us. For us, we thought this would be a time of “clear sailing” freeing us up for enjoyable and relaxing times. Like many, we found out that though our nest was empty, our family elders needed us to tend to them. It is a blessing to be able to do so though our energy level certainly isn’t as high as it was in our twenties. And we soon came to discover finding balance in our lives at times became more illusive as ever.

At first glance the author of James (2:14-18) appears to be writing a back and forth on which is better – to have faith or to do good works. But in reality this is not a written balancing act of either faith or good works. It’s yet another both/and. Our Sacred Creator calls us to tend to our world, our sisters and brothers in need and to each other. And indeed we do demonstrate our faith in the Sacred and the blessedness of all life by our works; the ways we spread goodness and love.

Our preferences for finding or making time for relaxation and renewal are as individual as each of us. So too are our daily tasks; activities; and ways supporting, caring for and encouraging our loved ones and those we encounter. What is common to all of us is our need to find rest for ourselves – to offer thanks for our blessings, to refresh our spirits and to find a sense of inner peace and…balance.

Peace on the Journey.