Wednesday, December 03, 2008

A balanced life

Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God (Deuteronomy 5:13-14).

You can lay in the sun and get a tan while your body gets enriched with vitamin D; but if you spend too much time exposed to ultraviolet rays your skin will burn and you risk developing melanoma. A glass of wine can help you relax around strangers or settle an upset stomach; but if you drink too much alcohol you’ll end up saying things you should have kept to yourself, and you become a very dangerous driver.

Life is full of things to do that can be fun and exciting; there are many ways to stimulate your mind and body. But such things must be used with caution; almost anything can be misused and cause you harm. There needs to be a balance between physical effort and mental exercise. Calories consumed should be balanced by calories burned. Work without time off for recreation is just as big a problem as persistent laziness.

There also a need for balance in your spiritual life. When God created the world, he divided the week into seven days. Six days were to be devoted to work, but the seventh day was reserved for spiritual matters—on it, no work was to be done.

When I was young, most businesses closed on Sunday—it was hard to find even a gas station, grocery store, or pharmacy that was open. But things have changed; most stores offering goods and services are now open on Sunday, even in the morning—after all, there is money to be made from those who don’t attend church, as well as churchgoers who need to pick up a jug of milk or would rather eat out than cook dinner.

It takes a lot of people to keep these stores and restaurants open, people who cannot attend church because of work. And it makes me wonder: how many of them get time with God’s word elsewhere during the week? What opportunities do they have to be assured that Jesus loves them, that their sins are forgiven, that death is not the end for their loved ones? When and where do they get the strength and friendship that comes from spending time with a group of fellow Christians? Is there time in their lives every week to reflect on what is good and right and worthwhile? These things are important—more important than any paycheck. Without them, life is out of balance.

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