Find Balance, July 29 Daily Reflection

Ethan teaching Jake how to ride a two wheeler bike

Ethan teaching Jake how to ride a two wheeler bike

Finding balance is like learning to ride a bike for the 1st time.  We took the training wheels off of Jake’s bike, he is 4 year’s old, this weekend.  In the picture above Ethan his 10 year old brother is trying to help him.  Remember the 1st time you tried to ride a bike?  It took me forever to learn.  It is a learned skill to be able to balance on two wheels.  If you lean too far one way or the other you fall. When you have learned balance you can pedal, brake and ride that bike forever.  It seems that once you master that skill you never do forget.  It’s true I rode a bike for the 1st time since I was a teenager a few years ago and it all came back to me.  Now my husband and I ride bikes with our kids in parks and down on the river.  We love to bike together.  The little kids; Jake and Spencer ride on a tandem bike attached to our bikes, the tandem has one wheel and is connected to the back.  Talk about needing balance.  If the child I am attached to moves too far one way or the other I almost fall off the bike.

It is like that in life.  How many of us are trying to find that balance?  If we try to be the best we possibly can be at work we stay late and our mind is always on our work, we lean too far one way.  If we put every thought and all of our time into our family our work can suffer, we lean too far the other way.  How do we find a balance?  It is a learned skill.  I don’t believe the balance just comes naturally to anyone!  I believe you have to try to ride that bike with balance daily.  Jake learned by letting Ethan help him.  It is easier to do it with help and guidance than all alone.  Maybe God should be the  one holding the seat of our bike.  Maybe instead of getting on and trying to take off full speed we need to be conscious of God helping to get us balanced and then letting us go!

How often in your life do you feel overwhelmed and so stressed out you could explode?  Is it from your work place or from your family life, committing too many extra activities, sports or clubs for your children? Think about one of those times you felt so stressed out for a moment.  What was going on?  Were you leaning too far one way or the other?  I think it is a daily task to stay up on that bike and we need to recognize that, instead of just thinking it will all work itself out. 

So today as you climb back up on your bike try not to lean too far one way or the other and let God be the one to help you learn the skill of balance by giving him some of your time.  Say a prayer and ask that He help provide you with the wisdom to know when you are leaning and the strength to give Him a chance daily to hold on to the seat of your bike.  When we learn to let God help us we can acquire the fine skill of balance in our daily lives.

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