{"id":337,"date":"2018-07-20T20:01:32","date_gmt":"2018-07-21T01:01:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/reconciledworld.org\/flourish\/?p=337"},"modified":"2018-07-17T16:13:17","modified_gmt":"2018-07-17T21:13:17","slug":"living-life-like-a-flamingo-balance-to-joy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/reconciledworld.org\/flourish\/living-life-like-a-flamingo-balance-to-joy\/","title":{"rendered":"Living Life Like a Flamingo: Balance to Joy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Researchers have come to understand that flamingos were created to balance. Their bodies in fact have been designed in such a way that when they stand on one leg they maximize their equilibrium and achieve near perfect stability. For a flamingo, balance is natural and biologically expected. <\/span><\/p>\n

We have spent the last several blogs in this <\/span>Living Life Like a Flamingo <\/span><\/i>series talking about the importance of seeking balance in our lives. We have talked about the importance of prioritizing our core values (ministry and work, family and friends, spiritual growth and intimacy with God, health and self-care) and how these principles should shape our lives. As we wrap up this series, I want to emphasize one final idea: <\/span>We seek balance to experience joy. <\/b><\/p>\n

Here are three thoughts that will help us unpack that: <\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Perfect balance is impossible <\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Unlike a flamingo, achieving perfect balance is impossible for us. Life is full of unexpected obstacles. The truth is, the moment we achieve what we feel is perfect work, life, family and health balance, something will come along and throw us off. A crisis will occur at work that will demand extra time or an illness or accident will demand our attention at home. Life is full of balance breakers, and that is okay! <\/span><\/p>\n

    Jesus is our flawless example, and His life was full of balance breaking moments. Take Matthew 9 for example. Jesus was interrupted during His conversation about wineskins as a father came and asked for Jesus to heal his daughter (v. 18). Moments later, as Jesus was going with the father, He was interrupted again by a bleeding woman in need of healing (v.20). Each time Jesus responded with compassion and seized the opportunity to share God\u2019s love. While Jesus is the best example of finding balance in His need for rest, intimacy with the Father, and ministry calling, He is also the best example of responding to balance breaking moments with love and compassion. Jesus shows us that perfect balance is actually impossible! Therefore, we shouldn\u2019t expect it in our lives either. However, we still strive for it, which leads me to point two. <\/span><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Balance moves us towards healthiness, which is the goal<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      While the Bible does not talk anywhere about being \u201cbalanced,\u201d it does talk a lot about being healthy. There are lists of verses that talk about leading a healthy life, family, and ministry. Health is the goal; balance is one of the key ingredients for getting there. <\/span><\/p>\n

      Health in our marriage and family takes effort and intentionality. Physical health takes effort and intentionality. Health in our intimacy with God takes effort and intentionality\u2026 You see the trend. Seeking balance in our life helps us naturally prioritize where we want to put our effort and intentionality. As I say \u201cno\u201d to some things, I am naturally intentionally saying \u201cyes\u201d to something else. Striving for balance doesn\u2019t automatically mean you will be healthy, but it is a step in the right direction. Health requires that, while we pursue balance, we also have the flexibility to be available to love others in those balance-breaking moments. <\/span><\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Balance makes space for joy<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        I think the greatest gift balance can bring is joy. Living and ministering from a healthy place brings joy. <\/span>When you\u2019re serving from a place of health, you\u2019ll be able to enjoy your ministry, family, health, and relationship with God in a way you wouldn\u2019t be able to otherwise. Jesus gives us a beautiful picture of this joy in John 15:10-11, when He says: <\/span><\/p>\n

        \u201c<\/span>If you obey my commands, you will remain in My love, just as I have obeyed My Father\u2019s commands and remain in His love. I have told you this so that My joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.<\/span><\/i>\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

        Simply put, when we obey we are filled with joy! Finding balance means seeking to obey the Lord in every area of life as we steward the amazing gifts of family, health, ministry calling, and intimacy with God that are offered to us. Our obedience to God\u2019s commands is connected to our experiencing the joy of the Lord. We\u2019ll never do it perfectly, but with the grace of God leading us we can live with a balance that honors our responsibilities, gives permission to have our balance broken for the sake of others, and experiences the blessing of joy that comes with obedience. <\/span><\/p>\n

        Series Conclusion<\/h3>\n

        I have learned to appreciate flamingos. They are incredibly beautiful and magnificent as they sway in the water. Watching and admiring their amazing balance has actually brought me joy! The same is true for many of you. Your ministries and lives are amazing! You have learned the incredible beauty of obeying the Lord, and I see the wonderful joy of the Lord in you. Yet all of us are wise to consider what balance looks like in our lives. How are you doing in this journey? Balance is not easy. It will be filled with unexpected opportunities that require discernment, clear boundaries, and wisdom. But I know even more joy is awaiting you! I am here to support you in this effort. Thanks for your faithfulness and, as always, feel free to contact me with your thoughts. I would love to journey in this with you!<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>

        \n

        Growth Point:<\/h4>\n

        While impossible to fully achieve, striving for balance puts our lives on a path towards healthiness which yields sweet joy.<\/p>\n

        Scripture Point:<\/h4>\n

        Reflect on John 15:10-11. Where have you seen your obedience lead to \u201ccomplete\u201d joy?<\/p>\n

        Action Point:<\/h4>\n

        Spend 30 minutes this week praying about what balance looks like for you. Ask God to give you insights into where changes need to be made and where you are obeying and honoring your responsibilities well. Commit to working on your areas of change and celebrating your areas of obedience.<\/p>\n<\/div>

        <\/div><\/div><\/div>
        https:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/thetwo-way\/2017\/05\/25\/530046238\/scientists-pinpoint-how-a-flamingo-balances-on-one-leg<\/span><\/a><\/h6>\n
        http:\/\/www.allaboutgod.net\/profiles\/blogs\/how-jesus-acted-when-he-was-interrupted<\/span><\/a><\/h6>\n
        https:\/\/www.preachingtoday.com\/sermons\/sermons\/2013\/december\/myth-of-balance.html<\/span><\/a><\/h6>\n
        Photo by\u00a0Gaetano Cessati<\/a>\u00a0on\u00a0Unsplash<\/a><\/h6>\n<\/div>
        <\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":339,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-337","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-personal-health-and-renewal"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/reconciledworld.org\/flourish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/337","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/reconciledworld.org\/flourish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/reconciledworld.org\/flourish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reconciledworld.org\/flourish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reconciledworld.org\/flourish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=337"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/reconciledworld.org\/flourish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/337\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":342,"href":"https:\/\/reconciledworld.org\/flourish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/337\/revisions\/342"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reconciledworld.org\/flourish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/339"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/reconciledworld.org\/flourish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=337"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reconciledworld.org\/flourish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=337"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reconciledworld.org\/flourish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=337"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}