You'll never be perfectly balanced

You'll Never Be Balanced
Sat, Sep. 25, 2010 Posted: 11:21 AM EDT


Balance is a mirage. It's a mirage in ministry. It's a mirage in marriage. It's a mirage in everything! No church is perfectly balanced. No theology is perfectly balanced. No person is perfectly balanced.

So for the record: you'll never be perfectly balanced.

Trust me, I wish I could perfectly balance family and ministry. I wish I could perfectly balance work and play. I wish I could perfectly balance grace and truth. There are a thousand things I'd love to balance. But you'll never be perfectly balanced.

Let me demonstrate. Stop reading. Stand up. And balance on one leg. You're not balanced are you? Muscles are quivering as you constantly react to your imbalance. Life is like that. So is ministry. I know that some of you are getting depressed, but this shouldn't be depressing. It should be incredibly liberating. Leadership is all about making the right adjustments. When you get out of balance, you know how to recalibrate. For example, you've been working too hard for too long. You need some play time! In theological terms, you need a sabbath. The sabbath is the way we balance creation and recreation.

My point? Embrace the imbalance. Such is life. We've got to continually evaluate the tensions in our lives and recognize where we need to recalibrate. For me, it's been family. I'm scaling back my travel because I sensed an imbalance. So I don't know where you're imbalanced, but I know you are! Again, you'll never be balanced. But it's a problem that can be solved once and for all. It's a tension that will be managed the rest of your life! Almost like rotating and recalibrating the tires on your car, you'll be standing on one leg the rest of your life.

Adapted from Mark Batterson's weblog at markbatterson.com. Mark Batterson serves as lead pastor of National Community Church (www.theaterchurch.com) in Washington, D.C. One church with nine services in five locations, NCC is focused on reaching emerging generations. Mark is the author of In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day and Wild Goose Chase and is a daily blogger at www.markbatterson.com. Mark and his wife Lora live on Capitol Hill with their three children.”

Mark Batterson
Christian Post Guest Columnist