I spent Saturday with my two daughters and my three grandkids at a local attraction called Heritage Square. On this particular day, we enjoyed a car show, a walk around the town, as well as the amusement park rides. It was a day filled with great memories.

The biggest problem we faced was the difference in ages of my grandkids. I have a 7 ½ year old, a 3 year old and a 16 month old. Joy wanted to do everything in the amusement park. She has been to several and knows what fun is available in those joy rides. While Percy found great enjoyment on the rides, he wasn’t able to go on all the rides that Joy was able to ride.

And then there was little Leslieanna. It was her first experience and we found very quickly that she wasn’t as impressed with the ups and downs, round and rounds of the few rides she tried. She didn’t even like the merry-go-round. So for the most part, she sat in her stroller and loved watching the activity.

Near the end of our day, we found a great roller coaster that Percy fell in love with. In total, he rode this snake ride four times. When it was time to go, he was devastated. He didn’t want to quit and was so upset that our time at Heritage Square had come to an end.

There is quite an age difference between my grandkids which means their maturity levels are different, their interests vary, and their abilities are unique. These differences cause some difficulty in finding fun things to do with this trio. When the younger ones are happy and occupied, the older one is bored. When the older one is stimulated, the younger ones have nothing to do. Finding a perfect balance is the key, but it’s also nearly impossible.

I believe there are times in our lives when we are out of balance. Kind of like a washing machine where more wet clothes are on one side than the other. It jiggles and shakes and makes all kinds of noise until the clothing is readjusted in the tub.

I’m sure you know exactly what I’m talking about. There are demands placed upon us each day. Work and family seem to be out of balance most often. When work demands more of our time, family gets less of us. And sometimes it’s the other way around.

Another area where we tend to become unbalanced is with physical and spiritual needs. The Apostle Paul understood the importance of this balance in our lives and what happens when we allow our physical desires to take precedence over our spiritual needs. I’m going to quote the most confusing portion of Paul’s writings…but it shows just how unbalanced we can become.

“I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.” (Romans 7:18-20 – NIV)

The only way to regain balance in this situation is to take sin out of the equation all together. If we do not, our sinful nature will cause our spiritual life to be out of balance. The washer tub of our lives must be set aright and our eyes set upon our Savior once again. Balance will return through our repentance and confession of sin.

Another area of unbalance may be the care of our physical bodies. While I understand the importance of keeping our bodies useful for God’s Kingdom, if we put all of our efforts into our physical body and less into our spiritual soul, we’ve become out of balance. Look at Paul’s encouragement for Timothy. “For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” (1 Timothy 4:8 – NIV)

Balance in our lives is only achieved by doing one thing. Being with Jesus. Jesus shared this idea with His disciples in John 15. His words were to “remain in Him.” As we come to know Jesus in this intimate way, balance will be restored.

I have no answer for the family/work balance. There have been times when I’ve done well and other times I’ve failed. But what I do know is that if my personal relationship with Jesus is in balance, His Spirit will lead and guide me to keep balance in all other areas of my life. Jesus is the key. Remain in Him.

Heritage Square was great fun for my family. Although there were some difficulties to overcome, it was wonderful to see the smiles on my grandkids faces. I know we’ll make a return visit…just to see them smile!

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Donna