Unbalanced

I heard it calling me. The sides bumping, the visual of wiggling its way from its appointed place, the sound of agony could be heard throughout the house. I remember well, going into the room and seeing one stranded in the middle of the room, with the water holes still connecting it to the wall preventing its total escape. I know that waiting too long will mean it almost beats itself to death. Years of doing loads and loads of laundry have taught me to not ignore this noisy cry for help.

  As I reached into the belly of this electric washing device, I couldn't help but let my mind wander with thoughts of how our lives can get off-balance so easily. Like the machine with clothes piled against one wall instead of evenly distributed throughout the tub, my life can start to resemble this tilted tub.

  I can become tilted in doing good things. As I have heard quoted many times – "we are robbed from the best by the good things in life, not the bad things." I don't have to slip up by getting carried away in major distractions; just the little foxes that rob the vines can deprive me of the best that life has to offer.

  "The quality, not the longevity, of one's life is what is important." Martin Luther King Jr

  How often we don't weigh our choices to select the best... time with our child, reading, playing, listening, singing, dancing. But instead, we look to our recordable goals. How often an unplanned visit to a friend can lift both their spirit and our own. Cooking dinner for extended family or friends at the last minute, instead of having to always pull out the calendar to see when it is convenient for everyone. Maybe convenience is the robber of some of the best things that life has to offer.

  How many times do we put earthly things above heavenly? How many times are we a Martha instead of a Mary? 

"Learn to sense what is vital and approve and prize what is excellent and of real value (recognizing what is the highest and the best)" Philippians 1:10

  My four-year-old is trying to balance on his bike. He tilts to one side and the other. He screams, "Mom, did you see that?" He is my last. I will only see this feat accomplished by my own child one last time. The dishes can wait; the clothes washer can be turned off and balanced later, the computer time can be put on hold, emails returned later, schedule delayed. I don't want to miss the Best for Good. I want a more balanced life! It is too easy to become like my productive washing machine and get off-balance, leaving me stranded in the middle of the room with sounds of agony being heard throughout my house. Even when unbalanced times happen, I am still connected to the water source and He hears my cry. He alone can rebalance my life and put me back into action.

  Enjoy your summer as you keep your balance!