What is a balanced life?
Balance is the idea of putting two objects on a scale. To achieve balance, the amounts on each side must be increased or decreased until both sides measure the same. Technically, that is the definition of balance.
It is probably easier to define a “balanced life” by contrasting what it is not. It seems that a balanced life would be:
Rested, not exhausted
Calm, not rushed
Focused, not scattered
Purposeful, not pointless
Confident, not insecure
Healthy, not harried
Gaining wisdom, not repeating mistakes
Closer to God, not growing distant
Most of us are balancing more than two things. When we go from two objects to three objects or more, we have suddenly gone from balancing to juggling. Isn’t that how we feel? Every day we have to keep a certain number of balls up in the air or plates spinning. If we drop a ball, then it seems like the whole thing will come crashing down.
So, a balanced life is not about giving equal time and energy to every aspect of your life. Some parts need more and some need less. Balance truly is giving every part what it needs when it needs it and having a little left over for ourselves. A balanced life relies on focus.
Think about all of the parts of your car. What do we pay attention to? We usually monitor the gas tank, but only when it is getting close to empty. We might think about the oil when the sticker on the windshield says it needs to be changed. But, what about brake fluid or antifreeze or washer fluid? We might get a 24-point inspection somewhere, but usually we do not think about these things unless there is a problem. Every part of your car, however, does not need the same amount of attention. If you had just enough time to fill the gas tank or fill the washer fluid, obviously the gas tank would be the priority. There probably would not be a problem unless you get behind a truck with no mud flaps.
For many of us, that’s how we run our lives. It is all gas-‘n-go’s. This study is going to give us the 24-point inspection. Actually, we are just going to do a four-point inspection. We don’t need to think about every area of our lives all of the time. But, we do need to pause and see where we are.
The Bible tells us in Luke 2:52, “Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and all the people.” Working from this passage, we are going to examine four major areas of our lives: our relationship with God, our relationship with others, our physical health, and our wisdom capacity. For the first five lessons we will examine a passage of Scripture, then take an assessment to see where and how we need to grow. In the final lesson, we will create an action plan for tackling one of these growth areas.
Allen White is the Adult Discipleship Pastor at Brookwood Church in Simpsonville, South Carolina. Brookwood was recently named as #78 on Outreach Magazine's Top 100 Largest Churches in the United States. Over 6500 people attend Brookwood Church each week and recently participated in the Living a Balanced Life study. Previously, Allen served as the Executive Director of Lifetogether.com with Brett Eastman and was a member of Saddleback Church, Lake Forest, California. He was also the Associate Pastor at New Life Christian Center in Turlock, California for 15 years. During that time, Allen also served as an instructor at the Global Bible Institute in Modesto, California. Allen, his wife and three children make their home in Simpsonville, South Carolina.
Living a Balanced Life Study
Buy the Study Guide
For information on bulk purchases of the study guide, contact Allen White.
Read the Living a Balanced Life Online Devotional.
Watch the Living a Balanced Life Teaching Videos:
Lesson 1: Our Need for Balanced
Perry Duggar, founding pastor of Brookwood Church, Simpsonville, SC.
Lesson 1: Testimony
Bob Moore, survivor of US Airways Flight 1549 that landed in the Hudson River.
Lesson 2: Finding Favor with God
Allen White, the author and Adult Discipleship Pastor at Brookwood Church.
Lesson 3: Finding Favor with People
Dr. Bob Nelson, Assistant Director of Greenville Mental Health.
Lesson 4: Testimony -- A Big Loser
Rob Dempsey, programming director for HisRadio 83.9.
Lesson 4: Living a Healthy Lifestyle
Kelly Frazier, lecturer in Health Sciences at Furman University.
Lesson 5: Gaining Wisdom
Fenton Moorhead, Associate Pastor at Brookwood Church.
