You may have heard Florida referred to as “The Sunshine State”. This is an accurate designation. In fact, it was adopted by the Florida Legislature in 1970 as Florida’s official nickname. And I agree with their decision. I love the morning sun streaming through the windows in the back of the house and the evening sun filling the front rooms with light. Most days it is bright and cheery all day long in my house. Even in the rainy season, the sun shines for some period of time during the day. One of the first things I do each morning is open the blinds to let all that wonderful sunlight in.
Another element of sunshine is its warmth. The abundance of sunshine helps keep Florida warm year-round. But I can attest to Florida being HOT in the summer. I have felt the summer sun on my shoulders like an oven’s heat. I marvel that folks like landscapers can work outside in that heat all day. My husband and I often joke that when we were northerners, we stayed inside all winter; and now as southerners, we stay inside all summer. All I know is that I am very thankful for air conditioning!!
We all enjoy the sun’s light and warmth, but like many things in life, we can get too much. So, we may need to seek relief. And basically that relief is shade.
One definition that my friend Merriam Webster gives for “shade” is “shelter (as by foliage) from the heat and glare of sunlight.” MW calling shade, “shelter” is an indication that we can get too much exposure to the sun’s rays. Sitting under the grand old oak as our grandparents often did in the summer (before AC) is actually a great idea because God designed trees to not only shade us from the sun’s effects, but also to absorb its energy and release it back in the air as water vapor that evaporates and cools the air around the tree. A brilliant design!
So we see that both sunshine and shade are good things. They are basically opposites, but they work together, and we need both. Each performs a necessary function, and the two together provide a balance.
This is true for many things in our lives – being awake and sleeping, working and playing, giving and receiving, being serious and being silly, to name a few. Think about any of these things in your life. If you are lop-sided in any of them, your life is out of kilter.
Think about sleep – sleep deprivation can wreak havoc in our lives. However, sleeping too much can cause things like headaches and anxiety. There needs to be a balance.
How about work? A good work ethic is an admirable quality. The Bible encourages us to work “heartily as to the Lord”, which means to put your heart into it. (Colossians 3:23) The Bible also implores us to be good stewards, a job that requires conscientious attention to detail and faithfulness. But have you ever heard the saying, “all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”? There needs to be a balance.
Have you ever been around a super-serious person? They seldom seem happy, and they rarely laugh. On the other hand, the lackadaisical person may laugh a lot but accomplishes little. There needs to be a balance.
Now, considering givers… A genuine giver is to be admired. Giving generously and thoughtfully is considered a mark of character. However, if a person never receives, eventually he will have nothing to give. There needs to be balance.
These are just a few examples to show how important it is to maintain balance in our lives. Often our lives seem to swing like a pendulum from one extreme to the other. I heard someone say this a long time ago and I think of it often; “Yes, I see balance in my life – I see it as I swing by it on my way from one extreme to other.” That describes my life many times. Super-busy or nothing to do. Very happy or really sad. Excited or bored. Tired or can’t sleep.
But then there are the times that everything levels out. The pendulum rests in the middle and my life is in balance. There is a happy medium. There is even keel. It is a perfect blend of sunshine and shade. I am busy but rested. I’m excited but prepared. I’m happy and thankful. We live for these times. And these times make the out-of-balance times tolerable.
Don’t get me wrong, a happy medium is not boring, nor is even keel mediocre. Balance is the blending of all of life’s circumstances into a glorious yet comfortable symphony of thoughts and actions. Balance brings peace of mind. Balance brings contentment and thankfulness. Balance keeps us going in the midst of all the craziness around us. We may not be able to stop the craziness, but we can put it in balance in our lives.
The most effective way I know to achieve balance in life is to align our thinking with God’s Word. The Word gives us the wisdom we need to figure things out. It gives us the strength we need to carry on. And it gives us the confidence we need to know that we can do it. And all of this comes from God’s assurance and reassurance that He will take care of us, that He will provide for us, and that He will fight for us. When our thoughts are harmonious with the thoughts of God’s Word, our lives will be in balance.
So, enjoy the benefits of the sunshine and the shelter of the shade. Remind yourself as you swing on life’s pendulum that eventually it will pause in the middle. And when it does, you can enjoy the balance!
Note to my readers: Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. Thanks for reading!