Strive For Balance

"For God Is Not The Author Of Confusion, But Of Peace, As In All Churches Of The Saints."

1 Corinthians 14:33

Inner balance & inner peace, something many people strive for, yet few can truly say they possess.

Unfortunately I am one of the many who seek them, yet fall short daily.

Inner balance means to "stand still".

Inner peace means a state of being mentally and spiritually at peace, with enough knowledge and understanding to keep oneself strong in the face of discord and stress.

In order to combine the two, you have to have self-discipline, self-control and the ability to not allow outside forces influence your emotions, your actions, your reactions and your judgements.

The presence of inner balance and inner peace means you have the common sense and good judgement to not allow the outside world to shake your inner world.

Think back over just the past month...

How many times did you get angry or lose your temper with your spouse, your kids, your co-workers, your parents etc?...

How many of those times were caused by outside influences? (ie: the weather, work, a headline you saw, other people etc...)

How many times have you allowed guilt to creep in when you regretted your actions?

I can most likely assume, now that you have taken the time to reflect back, that this doesn't make any of you happy.

This is allowing outside forces to distract you, which in turn throws off your inner balance and inner peace.

Loss of inner balance and inner peace causes your emotions to fluctuate, you than begin to lack direction...

You find yourself spending unnecessary time on useless thoughts, emotions and actions.

I know, because I do this day in and day out.

I can't count how many times I have started a post, got mid-way through and lost all train of thought due to unforeseen influences.

Each and every thing in my life affects my emotions, that is just the kind of person I am.

I allow unpleasant circumstances to steal my joy.

Joy He has blessed me with.

I can start the day well enough, however by mid-day, sometimes mid-morning, the joy has been stolen to be replaced with doubt, anxiety, worry, fear, anger, sadness etc...

It has taken me many months to recognize this and will probably take me many months to remedy it as well.

However as G says, "The journey begins with a single step", he also says "Change your perspective" which is what I was aiming to do today.

So starting this morning I got up, and mentally changed my way of thinking...

Instead of worrying about the fact that I had to go see my lawyer, I instead focused on the fact that He allowed me one more day of life.

Instead of thinking about what could happen on this day, I instead focused on the pleasant things in front of me.

Instead of focusing on the difficulties that have passed or have yet to come, I instead focused on what I have gained in this past year and a half.

Instead of fretting about what the lawyer said during our 3 hour meeting, I put it all in my mind to process a little at a time.

Your thoughts determine your state of mind...

Controlling your thoughts, takes a lot of practice...

If you tend to always have negative thoughts, yes like me, than you will gravitate towards negative no matter what...

You will always see the bad in any circumstance, no matter what.

If, instead you change your perspective, change your way of thinking, you will be able to see the positive no matter the circumstance.

Remember this, you are always able to decide which thoughts to follow and which thoughts to reject.

You should never feel like you are helpless to your own thoughts.

Now besides controlling your thoughts, how else might one achieve inner balance and inner peace?

Meditation.

We spend 8-12 hours a day working, playing, eating, drinking etc...

Can you find 15 minutes a day to just "be"?

No amount of money, fame, notches on your bedpost, clothes in your closest, food in your pantry etc...Can bring about inner balance nor inner peace.

During meditation, I seek Him...

He is the core of my inner balance & inner peace...

I know that in order to reach that place deep within, I have to be able to transcend my thoughts.

Yes, I am still working on that.

From the moment you get up in the morning to the moment you go to sleep at night, you need to be able to maintain some form of detachment from the world around you.

I am not saying to become uncaring and callous...

I am saying you need to be able to decide which, if any of the things going on around you, will control your balance & peace.

Don't react immediately to any situation, emotion or thought...

It won't be easy, however step back, take a breath, count to one hundred if you have to and ask yourself, "Will I allow my balance to be tipped the other way by this circumstance?" "Will I allow this to steal my inner peace"?

In order to develop inner balance and inner peace, it takes practice, concentration & meditation...

In the long run, 15 minutes a day is worth it.

What I have been finding out recently, is that no matter how many valleys I descend into, I have to remember to always keep walking forward.

Eventually I am going to come to a place where I will be able to climb out.

No matter what has happened in my life, there has always been a way out.

No matter the difficulties nor the obstacles placed in my path, no matter how many times I fall down, I always rise up.

The knowledge that He is with me each and every step allows me the courage to keep walking, keep rising and keep soaring.

That alone is helping me with keeping my inner balance and inner peace.

MERCYME
Hold Fast
Help Is On The Way
Hold Fast
He's Come To Save The Day
What I've Learned In My Life
One Thing Greater Than My Strife
Is His Grasp
So Hold Fast