Balance

Pastor Bill Ehmann, Wood Village Baptist Church

One of the amazing examples of Creator God’s handiwork is on display in Garden of the Gods Park in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It is called “Balanced Rock.” I grew up about 80 miles from there. On occasional day trips to the area, we always stopped to admire this huge rock that seemed to have so little foundation under it.

As a child, I viewed it as a statement about the wonder of nature. Today, it reminds me of the balance in God’s nature as displayed in all of His Creation. A quick review of the first two chapters of Genesis reminds us of the wonder of a universe filled with balance and Planet Earth as a balanced environment.

The Garden of Eden was filled with balance. The two humans who lived there did not try to dominate one another. All of the animals got along – there was no evidence of death. One can imagine how different life would be on this planet today if that pattern had continued.

The counterfeit god, Satan, interrupted the balance when he enticed Adam and Eve to turn their trust to him and away from Creator God. Life on Planet Earth would never again be balanced. Only a new heaven and earth, as promised in the Book of Revelation, can restore it.

We could call life on this planet a continual challenge to balance. Consider natural forces. Wind overpowers trees and water destroys fields and homes. A year of effort and expense in farming can suddenly be destroyed by a hailstorm. In the world of animals, certain species disappear through the dominance of other creatures – or sometimes by careless, greedy humans. And humans – when is the last time you viewed a truly balanced relationship over time?

The most worthy efforts by committed people can get out of balance. Someone admired by the church and community for their constant willingness to volunteer can easily neglect their spouse and children. When our personal agenda, appropriate as it seems, becomes so narrow that we lose sight of big-picture priorities, we are most likely in a state of imbalance. This is not a one-time-fix-all situation, either, but rather a lifelong challenge filled with continual adjustments.

Some parents are overprotective and want to save their children from all hurts. This prevents the opportunity for growth through trials and difficulties – even failure. Other parents allow their children to experiment in things that are destructive – forgetting that boundaries are a part of balance.

Years ago, some foolish people tried to tip Balanced Rock off its base. Fortunately, they failed. I am reminded that the counterfeit god, Satan, continues to be determined to disrupt the balance that God intends as the foundation of human life. He plants seemingly wholesome distractions in our mind that are not consistent with God’s directives. He is even good at using part of the Bible – out of context – to make his ideas seem right. He probably gives little thought to Balanced Rock, but he is continually annoyed by a balanced life that honors God.

It is helpful to evaluate the joys and frustrations of our life and relationships and note the ones that are balanced and those whose foundation is under attack. A balanced life is a useful life, a life that we can enjoy and others can admire.

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