Keeping Balance and Focus while Walking the Tightrope of Suffering

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith”
 (Hebrews 12:2).

I have been to the circus three times in my life, always in March.  One of my favorite acts was the tightrope walkers, although I always breathed a sigh of relief when they safely finished their performance!

Our pastor recently stated that our Christian lives should be focused as well as balanced, and I thought of those tightrope walkers.  To walk a tightrope requires the balance of keeping one's weight distributed as well as staying focused on the final goal - the end of the rope - rather than on distractions which could be dangerous.

We do need both focus and balance in our lives, especially if we live with health challenges.  It can be difficult knowing how to distribute ourselves evenly.  We don’t want to overcommit but we want to do what we can.  We have to choose between healthy and unhealthy relationships.  We need balance in our medical treatments, foods, and other areas of our lives.

Balance is definitely a part of healthy living, but we will still struggle without the correct focus Christ and His Word.  When He is our central focal point, we don’t get distracted by the worries and fears of our pain or what the future may hold. No matter how far away the end of our tightrope of problems may seem, Jesus is there encouraging us to continue moving forward toward Him.

The performers I saw had a safety net beneath them.  Praise God, the safety net of His presence is all around us.  If we become too focused on the concerns of this world, lose our balance, and fall, He is there to catch us and put us back on the wire.

The circus is sometimes called the greatest show on earth.  The tightropes of our earthly suffering will always be challenging to walk, but this practice is preparing us for the greatest show on both heaven and earth - God’s eternal kingdom - where our only need for balance and focus may be to choose which wonder of God’s to experience next.  So let’s keep our balance, keep our focus, and keep walking.

Prayer:  Lord Jesus, thank you that Your presence always surrounds me.  Give me Your wisdom and discernment as I seek balance in my life and, keep me focused on You and Your Word rather than on earthly distractions and problems.  Amen.