Gò0dNews for Everyone
Blessed Are the Balanced
T
by Linda Ray Center
his time of year is the season of holidays. With
lash out at my loved ones. It also took its toll on my health.
Christmas, New Year’s, and Valentine’s Day right
After years of an overly packed schedule, I realized that my
around the corner, it is easy to get lost in the
lifestyle needed to change. Now, I limit the busyness of my
excessive busyness of the holidays. Perhaps, you are worried about staying calm through
the upcoming holidays, with meal preparation, shopping,
days by cutting back on activities, and I am learning to say no more often. Memorizing 1 Peter 5:8 has also helped me to be more
holiday gatherings, traveling, or the other hundred things
aware of how I spend my days. “Be self-controlled and alert.
that need attention.
Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion
When we get overly busy, we feel like we are out of control. All we want is for it to stop. But how? Balance is the
looking for someone to devour.” Here are three helpful tips to soften stressful holidays: 1. Live a Well-Balanced Life No one person can avoid stress, but Jesus came to bring us His peace. The Hebrew word for “peace”—shalom—is often used in reference to an appearance of calm and tranquility. Ask God to help you slow down when you are running on empty and find a balanced schedule. 2. Bless Others You are considered financially rich among nations if you have a roof over your head and food on the table. Try buying a few bags of groceries and dropping them off at a food bank or leaving them at a neighbor’s door who cannot drive. Loving others gives us a sense of meeting needs
key! We desperately need order and peace, not only during the holidays but every day. Recently, I overheard a preacher describe BUSY as
instead of being busy. 3. Anticipate Hope Changing a busy lifestyle takes self-control and
Buried Under Satan’s Yoke. It is easy to get buried under
awareness to improve. I am not sure what your daily
things of the world—not necessarily evil things, but
schedule looks like, but I do know this: God’s grace makes
distractions from spending time with God and family. I
our view of things more hopeful.
don’t know about you, but whenever I find myself too busy, I feel like that person under Satan’s yoke. I lose my focus on
Instead of excessive activity during the upcoming holidays, let us be mindful that balance brings peace.
what is important until I start practicing balance again. I learned the balancing lesson the hard way. The excessive activity caused me such anxiety that I would
32 // December 2021
About The Author
Is there a way to find balance during jam-packed times?
Linda Ray Center writes about everyday life with God, others, and self, as an author, freelance writer, and blogger at www.lindaraycenter.com. She resides in charming Chattanooga and will showcase her grandchildren’s pictures at any given moment.
