Learn to balance your life and discover when it is unbalanced with this deep Bible Study.

Review

As I was searching for a Bible study to speak to my heart, I asked God to direct my paths and He pointed me to this study on balancing one's life. Seems I'm always trying to balance my life and every time I think I've got it under control, God comes along and reminds me that there's a little more tweaking to do.

As I sat down to work this morning, that old country song, I'm In A Hurry, from Alabama, kept playing in my mind. You know the lyrics don't you? They go something like this:

I'm in a hurry to get things done Oh I rush and rush until life's no fun All I really gotta do is live and die But I'm in a hurry and don't know why

Have you ever felt like that? Have you ever been in such a hurry to get somewhere but found you got nowhere fast?

That's probably because God has other plans for you.

In Six Basics of a Balanced Life, Carol says "But as I analyzed my heart, I realized most of the commitments on that calendar were activities that made me look important, spiritual, or valuable to other people...it was to make me feel good in front of other people."

Whether our lives are out of balance to make us feel important and special or because we simply haven't learned the art of saying, "No," it's important that we stop what we're doing and seek God's counsel. "What's really important? What does God really want from us? Are we headed down the right path?"

Carol and Karen asked us to seriously take a look at our lives and determine how we know when our lives are out of balance. For me, that was an easy, yet painful, question to answer.

I know my life is out of balance when:

1. My teenage son finally sits down to talk with me and I am too busy to make eye contact with him and give him my undivided attention.

2. My preteen daughter makes one of her experimental dinners and seeing the mess, I find myself agitated and in need of a good scream, instead of appreciating all the effort and love that went behind that mess.

3. My beloved husband of 16 years can't seem to do one single thing right in my eyes, and then turns to me and says, "I know why you pick on me. You just don't like me anymore."

4. I wake up in the morning feeling as though the weight of the world is on my shoulders and I don't know why.

5. I wake up feeling as though the world is passing me by and I simply cannot catch up.

6. I finally have a few moments to myself and I cry because I simply do not know what to do with myself. Or

7. Impatience takes over and everything in life is simply moving too slow!

But I know my life is IN BALANCE when:

1. I can stop what I am doing, at a moment's notice and give my son some much deserved undivided attention.

2. I can look my daughter in the eyes, smoosh her beautifully round cheeks together and swat a big kiss on her face and then smile at the mess she's made because I know that it was done with good intentions.

3. I can look at my husband and see the good that he is and not the little things that get under my skin. When I can look up to God and thank Him for placing this wonderful man in my life; a man who is committed to this marriage, to our children, and to God.

4. I wake up singing and praising God for the day, no matter what my day holds and find that I truly like my life-just the way it is...no changes necessary

The hardest part of keeping one's life in balance is that factors are constantly changing; nothing ever stays the same: children grow up and gain a new set of needs, business slows down or speeds up at a moment's notice, we take on new hobbies or activities, friends and family members need assistance, and God seeks more of us.

So how do we discover balance?

Carol and Karen believe it starts with Matthew 22:37 (NIV): "You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind" and follow sup with Matthew 6:24 (NIV) which says, "Wherever your treasure is, there your heart and thoughts will also be." What powerful and mighty statements.

What do you put the most thought into? Where do you put the most energy? Treasure, in the Bible, doesn't necessarily mean material possessions. But it does mean something of importance, something of real value. It's something we put a high price on-whether emotionally, spiritually, or materially. It's something that, in our own eyes, cannot be replaced.

Many times we'll quickly tell our children, our spouses, our family, or our friends that they are our treasures on earth. But do we really mean it? What do our actions suggest?

How can we say they are more important than the homes we live in, the things we possess, the cars we drive, the jobs we work, or the businesses we run if we are constantly telling them, "No, I can't right now. I need to clean the house, straighten the cupboards, organize the garage, work late tonight, finish this assignment, or make yet another ‘important' meeting"?

How can we say they are our treasures and that they are irreplaceable if we cannot even take a moment to acknowledge their importance in our lives by sharing our lives with them? By setting aside time to spend with them? By sharing in their joys and their sorrows? By fitting them into our schedules?

In balancing my own life, I plan to make a more conscious effort to make sure my treasures know who they are. I plan be more relational and less task-oriented. I plan to arrange a few date nights with my husband-no kids allowed! I plan to play more games and not take life so seriously, and I plan to seek God's counsel every step of the way.

If you're ready to put balance back into your life, I highly suggest you pick up a copy of Six Basics of a Balanced Life today.

About The Author: Alyice Edrich is an inspiring artist who enjoys turning her personal photographs into beautiful cards, mugs, and magnets. Check out her new line athttp://alyiceedrich.net/zazzle.htm or visit her art blog at http://alyiceedrich.com