Neither. It is in many ways a trick question.
"To everything there is a season, and a time for every matter or purpose under heaven..." Ecclesiastes 3:1
Recently I picked up a little devotional at SAMS for a low price, but mainly because of the title, "A Time for Everything: Discovering the Beautiful Rhythms of Life" by Margaret Feinberg. I chose it because it was one of Women of Faith's endorsed studies on Balancing Life. And I do not balance well....or I should say, the act of balancing often eludes me.
One of the first things Mrs. Feinberg talks about is how balancing life if impossible; instead we should take notice of the season we are in and celebrate the gems Christ has for us in the moment. It reminded me of these big rubber balls my children got at the beginning of this summer; the kind you find in a big cage thing at your local Wal-mart that are really big...and bounce really high! :) While I had visions of my kids playing with these balls in our yard, their favorite use of them has been to put them in our pool, and try to balance on top of them. Because there is so much air and the balls don't give much, balancing becomes almost impossible... almost. In each attempt to roll their bodies on top of these huge balls in the water, there is about a second or two that they are marginally successful before the ball comes shooting out of the water like a gusher and they start giggling, ready to try again.
How often do we do the same thing with life?
I probably shouldn't answer this question because I would be the kid still in the pool long into the night while everyone else has gone home thinking there has to be a way... If I can stay up 5 seconds, I should be able to stay up 20. We push ourselves. We want more. We expect more.
The reality (and God's truth for our lives) is that there is a season, a time, for all things, just as Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 says. Mrs. Feinberg reminds us that some seasons of life are meant to be busier than other, while some are times of resting or renewal. I made a list in my journal of each season and all of the things I loved about each one. It was really hard for me to pinpoint which one is my favorite because there are many attributes about each I truly cherish and long for; but I often am not so eager for the seasons of life to change, nor do I welcome them as openly. Instead, I try to balance it all. I attempt (feebly) to do it all. I have a human idea in my mind (very idealistic, I might add) of what balance looks like; imagine the ball in the pool, a large platform on top and then me..... juggling life atop! I know. Very grandiose. And also very un-Christ-like. This balancing fantasy I often covet is a belief that I can do it all. It doesn't acknowledge that I truly believe God is in charge of each hour, each second, each season. Instead we are called to simply sit on the edge with our balls and take note of what kind of day it is- one where we chill out in the pool visiting? Play a vigorous game of chicken and ball? Or even sit inside and take a day off from even visiting the pool- no balls needed.
I challenge you to list things you truly love about each season and why. Then think about your own life. What season would you say you're in? One of growth? One of hecticness and hurry? (Yes- I truly believe that is a season of life, especially if you're a young working adult and have children of any age.) One of renewal and new blooms? Whatever season you find yourself, ask God to reveal to you ways to enjoy the moment, the season, for such a time is usually only short lived.
