Practice Staying in Balance for Your Overall Health

Our devotion this month is on Health, which covers a wide area concerning our wellness. My most memorable, as well as most miserable time period of an unhealthy lifestyle, occurred when I was out of control emotionally.

My unhealthy emotional health had its beginnings in childhood. Being a child of over-protective parents plus having a low key personality of my own, created the perfect combination for a being a people pleaser. At an early age, I began to avoid voicing my feelings, thoughts, and opinions. By the time I reached adulthood, my self-esteem was at a low level.

Growing tired of feeling devalued, intimidated, and frustrated with not being able to make decisions on my own, I asked the Lord to lead me out of this maze. Through a series of events, prayer, and study, He did just that. At last I was set free of people pleasing and intimidation.

Only one problem - I came out of the people pleasing pit swinging. I had no problem putting my hands on my hips, rolling my big brown eyes, and pointing my finger in anyone’s face who messed with me, saying, “Let me tell you something. You can’t intimidate me; my feelings and opinions count!”

And so it was, I had moved from the unhealthy stage of being a people pleaser, but became cocky and arrogant. Obviously, I needed an attitude adjustment.

One day, while reading in Galatians, I stumbled upon this verse: “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another” (Galatians 5: 1, 13 NKJV).

I caught it! I had been entangled in a yoke of bondage to people pleasing and intimidation. But, Christ had set me free. Sadly, I was taking my newfound freedom and using it for an occasion of the flesh on how I responded. The Lord didn’t want me to live in intimidation anymore, but He wanted me to use this newfound freedom to serve others in love without an arrogant, brass attitude.

It was then I remembered what my mentor, the late Melba Berkheimer had once said: “We are like pendulums on a clock. We have been on the left side of the clock for a long time responding a certain way. We get a new revelation, and we swing our pendulum way over to the right side of the clock and do the extreme opposite. We need to bring balance into our lives.” Obviously, the Lord had to teach me how to keep my freedom in balance.

Suffice it to say, we need balance in all areas of life, not just in our emotional health, but also in our physical, vocational, spiritual, relational, social, recreational, financial, and family life. Without it, life can become pretty chaotic and unbalanced.

The Apostle Paul explained it this way: “Be sober (well balanced and self-disciplined), be alert and cautious at all times. That enemy of yours, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion (fiercely hungry), seeking someone to devour. But resist him, be firm in your faith (against his attack – rooted, established, immovable), knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being experienced by your brothers and sisters throughout the world. (You do not suffer alone” (1 Peter 5:8-9 AMB).

Reflection

1. The first step toward a balanced healthy lifestyle is recognizing the area where you feel you are unbalanced. If you feel there is an area, please name it.

2. Can you pinpoint a time in your life when this unbalanced area occurred and how?

3. Explain what Galatians 5: 1, 13 means to you. Reading the whole chapter might enlighten you more fully.

Be sober, (well balanced and self-disciplined), be alert and cautious at all times. That enemy of yours, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion (fiercely hungry), seeking someone to devour. But resist him, be firm in your faith (against his attack – rooted, established, immovable), knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being experienced by your brothers and sisters throughout the world. (You do not suffer alone.) (1 Peter 5:5-8 AMB)

Martha Bush

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