The Balance Beam

Written by Leah Stirewalt

I don’t really remember a whole lot about PE class in middle school…except the gymnastics unit. I hated the gymnastics unit, with a passion. If there could have been a way to be sick and miss that LONG 3 week ordeal, I would have found a way to do it. But, the thought of being that dishonest turned my stomach inside out…more so than actually suffering through the class. My cartwheels (if you can call them that) were lousy. My somersaults were never straight. Flips, back bends, and splits – forget about it! But, the balance beam…that was my one saving grace.

I may not have had the flexibility or the technique to perform the other things we were taught in class, but I could balance. I loved to hop on one foot, skip, walk front-to-back, or even sideways while on the beam. Interestingly, I was probably the best “balancer” in class. I would even run on the thing…fearlessly. I really had just that much confidence in my balancing ability that I would virtually try all kinds of stunts. However, sometimes my stunt attempts would fail. Then I knew I had bitten off a wee bit more than I could chew.

In life, I’ve been a pro at the “balance beam” too. Amazingly, I’ve been able to balance work, time with family, church, my personal time with Christ, my time with friends, my hobbies, etc. So, I took on more…I tried new “stunts”. But, my balance began to falter quite a bit. I wobbled a lot. I fell more often than not. I was no longer balancing…I was juggling…and doing a terrible job at it. Each time this happened, I noticed a trend. God was no longer first place. He got my leftovers. I would give Him my plans and then ask Him to bless them. In doing so, I became miserable. My time with God seemed hurried and rushed. I hated that feeling. I missed our special times together. I missed the peace that I had when making decisions. I missed the times of rest. My balance was way off.

Hosea 5:15 “Then I will go back to my place until they admit their guilt. And they will seek my face; in their misery they will earnestly seek me.”

So, off I ran…back into His arms…asking, pleading, begging Him to show me how to balance this thing, called life…all over again. And, He did then and continues to do so now. But, no stunts allowed this time.