Home | About | Search | FAQs | Contact

Finding the Right balance

About five years ago I found my life getting busier and busier. Each week it seemed I was given new tasks to undertake. I was working full time at my job, on top of that I was working nearly full time hours in ministry and at my local church. All this was being juggled with being married and having the responsibility of young children. Add to this maintaining a family home and trying keep fit. Things were getting on top of me to say the least!

I found that during this period I quickly realised that I couldn't keep this fast pace up for long. I noticed I had become caught up in a cycle of boom and bust. I would go flat out for two or three months and get lots of things done. Then I would get run down and sick and have to stop for a couple of weeks. Once I had recovered I would jump back on the treadmill again and the cycle would begin over.

During one of my down times I realised that I needed to seek God and ask how I would get a more balanced life. Especially one where I could still be effective for Him, but where I could also work and spend enough time with family and on leisure activities. As a result of seeking God I found four "signposts" I could do to get my life back in balance. These signposts consist of four "F's". If you take these four "F's" and set personal goals for each of them, I am sure they will help you like they have helped me.

F1 Faith

The faith or spiritual side of life is one that often neglected by many people. Neglecting this spiritual side of our life is neglecting one of our major aspects of our being – spirit, soul and body.

I make sure I have as set daily prayer time. This helps me to keep in tune with God and take my requests to Him. It also gives me time to just sit with God and listen just in case He wants to say anything to me. I also make sure I attend church regularly and read my Bible on a regular basis. I find these things keep my spiritual site healthy and strong.

F2 Family

Our families are the most important gift God has given us. We need to remember that our number one priority after our relationship with God is our families.

I find it is very important to ensure you have regular time set aside for family activities. It doesn’t matter what you do as long as it is something you enjoy and you can all have a chance to relax together. I have also found it is also very important to spend time alone with each member of your family. Time alone with your wife or husband and time spent alone with each of your children is vital to make sure your relationships are healthy. Sometimes you have to get creative to make it happen, but it is definitely worth it.

F3 Fitness

It is important to look after our health. God willing most of us will live into our 70’s and beyond. Exercise and good nutrition will enable us to be active for as long as possible and to be able to enjoy our later years.

I have a regular exercise routine in place that includes weight training and cycling. I found this combined with a healthy (but not too strict!) diet keeps me healthy and gives me the best chance of having a healthy life in the longer term.

F4 Finances

Our finances are another area where people tend to neglect. Having a financial plan will help us to keep on track. It doesn’t have to be super strict but having some things in place will help us to allow our money to work for God and our families.

Having a family budget can work wonders. A great tip someone once told me was to work out your year’s bills (gas, power, phone, car repairs etc) and divide them into a fortnightly amounts. If you then put that amount away each fortnight, when the bills come in you will be prepared for them. Paying off your house sooner with save thousands of dollars in interest and putting some money away in superannuation will help when retirement comes. You will need that after paying attention to F3 about your fitness!

Summary

So if you are struggling in trying to keep the right balance to your life, try applying the above F’s. As I mentioned above, find goals in each of these areas. Write down things that are important to you in each of the areas and I am sure this will help you as much as it has helped me over the last five years or so.

Further Reading

If you are interested in starting a relationship with God and making sure you have the first "F" in balance. Please visit our "Peace with God" page.