It's All About Balance

A healthy work-life balance can be difficult to achieve. What once was a role that we loved can become a position we find difficult because of our work-life balance getting out of hand.

With demands on both sides – work and at home - we can find ourselves in one of two places:

1. Giving over and above in both areas of our lives, leaving us frazzled and burned out.

2. Giving over and above in one area of our lives, whilst the other slips. We can then feel out of control and anxious, sometimes even fearful.

Neither scenario is positive, and both leave us with unhealthy anxiety.

My aim today is not to tell you how to live your life or how to approach your work. You know your own working and personal life far better than I do. My aim today is to encourage you that both our work and personal lives are important. Healthy balance between the two is achievable.

Let’s look at what the Bible says about work and the implications this verse has for our home life as well:

‘Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and the Master you are serving is Christ.’

(Colossians 3:23-24)

If the Master we are serving is Jesus, we can be confident that both our work and our home lives matter to Him. God is not a task master who drives us to the end of our rope. He is a gentle and humble-hearted friend who wants the best for our work lives and our home lives.

So, if Jesus is our real boss, let’s look at the two ‘places’ we can find ourselves in again:

1. Giving over and above in both areas of our lives, leaving us frazzled and burned out.

Now we can relax a little here. Knowing that our master is not going to chastise us for ‘slacking’ is releasing. He understands what is going on in our work lives and our home lives. He knows that we are doing our best and we can give our best because we are promised an inheritance as our reward.

2. Giving over and above in one area of our lives, whilst the other slips and we feel out of control and anxious, sometimes even fearful.

Here, we can realign our lives and recognise that both areas are important to God. Both need equal amounts of attention. When one area gets out of balance, we can adjust our efforts so that we give value to both our work life and home life.

Next Steps

Commit Colossians 3:23-24 to memory.

Whenever you find your work-life balance getting out of harmony, consider this verse. Try to re-align your priorities in both areas of life.

Remember, God cares about both.

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