Leadership Capacity By Brian HoustonSample

Bringing Balance into Your Life

Life is a journey of highs and lows, wins and losses, mountain tops and deep valleys. And we must navigate these well if we’re going to live a productive and fulfilling life. Living “worthy of the calling” is speaking to the way we live in every circumstance and situation, internally and externally. The key is knowing how to deal wisely with our emotions and our thinking; to ride through the ups and downs with steadiness and direction.

Peter warned, “Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour.” (1 Peter 5:8 - AMPC)

This is important advice. Living a balanced life will guard you against the enemy’s hidden traps. So, rather than looking for excuses for unhelpful behaviour, look for remedies and answers. Artists who tour for months, on stage night after night and then return to the routines and realities of ‘normal life’ can have a difficult time reconciling the two, often falling into deep depression, unable to function in a balanced and healthy way at home. Or someone who faces a continual sequence of setbacks or blows can struggle to stay on top mentally. But when you are working at your vocation from a sense of calling, you will find a way to get through the ups and downs along the way.

The truth is that no matter what life brings, if you are going to grow your capacity, you must get good at balancing your responses to the ups and downs as they come along. 

Ask yourself, how consistent am I? Do I swing from awesome highs to deeps lows in my spiritual life? My relationships? My thought life? If you have extreme fluctuations in the way you behave and respond, you won’t be able to develop the emotional capacity to keep going through the challenges or adversities when they come. Take care of your soul; build balanced and consistent habits that nurture your spiritual, physical and mental health. Living with emotional balance will bring stability to your life and behaviour. Ask the Lord to help you learn a more balanced way to live.

PRAYER:

Father, I want to build greater balance into my life and shut-down the enemy’s opportunities to sabotage my future. Holy Spirit empower me to keep my focus on the right things, to make wise and healthy choices so I can live in a way that is worthy of Your calling.