Balance

A couple of weeks ago, I went to our first Bible study of the semester, and the first question that was asked was, "What is one word you would use to describe the start of the semester so far?"

And the word just rolled off of my tongue- "Balanced."

I don't know where it came from, but it's true. The start of my semester has been balanced. And I got to thinking about it, normally I would have said something like, "exhausting" or "crazy." I realized that so many of us as young people tend to look at life from a negative point of view. Perhaps it's from all that we've been through in the past few years, or because of the influence of social media, or too much news, or any number of things- but whatever the cause is, pessimism seems to have infected our generation.

So, when I said that my semester so far has been balanced, I was surprised. I found myself pondering what the difference is between this and other semesters. Why am I balanced?

I think it's been a few things...

#1. Taking care of myself

I've been eating better, going to the gym every other day, getting enough rest, getting all of my homework done, praying frequently, reading more, and spending more time with my friends. Managing my time has been so incredibly helpful.

#2. Focusing on God

The days when every day starts and ends with Him are so much more fruitful and beautiful.

But the thing I think has changed my mindset the most has been an attitude of gratefulness and surrender. As you'll see from another recent post, my theme for the year is gratefulness. I've found myself pondering the good parts of my day time and time again and being grateful for them instead of only focusing on the negatives. Thanking Him for the good things helps to make the bad things seem less scary- He's got it all under control! That's where surrender comes in. Knowing God is my Father and is continually holding and sustaining me brings so much peace.

So if you're feeling out of balance, stressed, tired, overworked, or any number of things, to just look to Jesus. Be grateful for the good things and surrender the bad things. Give Him glory and honor and praise for everything. He alone is where we'll find our balance.