Before the COVD19 pandemic, employees in our company were already allowed to work from home from time to time. Initially, the WFH arrangement is intended to give us more "personal time" since the commute hours will be deducted from our regular routine even just once a week. It aims to help with the employees' work-life balance.
When the pandemic began, we shifted to the fixed work from home setup. This sort of help in ensuring the health and safety of the employees BUT did not protect us from "disruption". Like everything else, our work and life got disrupted and everything shifted.
Personally, I found myself spending more time in front of my laptop more than I usually did when we were reporting to the office. I would wake up at the sound of email and chat notifications, prompting me that my attention is needed at work. I would take my meals and in front of my laptop just to ensure I have enough time to address work. I would end my day not because I already finished work, but because I am extremely tired. My rest would literally be bio breaks and shower until such time I need to go to bed for a good night sleep. No matter how hard I tried to "work smart" it seems that there isn't enough time to accomplish everything that needs to be done.
Before all of these disruptions, I am the kind of person who loves to do and juggle a lot of things. I have work, ministry and school at some point, but still had time to go to the gym, watch series, or even pursue an interest or a hobby. Balance is my middle name! But I struggled to maintain that during this pandemic. It made me sad, frustrated. It feels like I have been expertly riding a bike for years, but now I have been crashing repeatedly to the point of not being able to get back on my bike. It led me to depression and anxiety. I felt wounded and bruised. Okay, that's a little dramatic, but you get my point. It wasn't easy, I have to take a break and step back from everything.
Now that I am resting, I have been focusing on restoring my balance.. Or maybe revamping balance? I am sure my previous definition of balance won't fit my situation anymore, our situation. However, I know that I would not really find the right balance, unless I go back to the principle of balance in the Bible. How would God want me to balance my life now?
I was reminded - Ecclesiastes 3:1 "In everything there is a season and a time for every purpose under heaven"
In our lives, we have multiple things that may come at us at different time or moment and with different level of intensity. For each of these things, there's a right time and duration. No matter what situation we are in right now, NOTHING IS FIXED. At some point, things will change or the Lord will change us.
EVERY PURPOSE UNDER HEAVEN are ordered and disposed by God to accomplish His purpose. But the word purpose here refers not only to "natural" but even the free and voluntary actions of men. THERE IS TIME TO DO MOST THINGS, but they must always be done by God's standards.
These are the three basic principles that I think we can start with:
Matthew 6:33-34
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
We all know this. This is basic. Any Christian can put their understanding of this into words.
We put him first and everything will follow. We prioritize him and God will orchestrate everything to fall into it's own places. BUT take note! This is not just prioritizing His work or the ministry. KING first before kingdom. Put our relationship with GOD first, above all else. Know him more, read the Bible, communicate with Him. Finding balance in this uncertain life will not be easy, but GOD will be there to provide guidance and strength every step of the way.
Ecclesiastes 4;7-12 shows that balance in life also means having time for other people. In verse 8 we saw a man who is all alone toiling and depriving himself of enjoyment. He found his situation MEANINGLESS, A MISERABLE BUSINESS.
Similarly, God wants us to provide for ourselves and family. But being a workaholic and failing as a spouse or a parent is not being balanced. If you are student, God wants you to perform well in school but if you are missing to perform your duties to your parents, then that is not being balanced. As a Christian, God wants us to follow Him but not to the exclusion of everything else, especially one's other personal responsibilities.
God also didn’t intend us to be alone. We need someone to lean on, bear burdens with us, comfort and encourage us. No matter how “independent” or “introvert” you may think you are, there will come a point you would need others and others would need you. This is God’s design. Therefore setting time for other people is not just about fulfilling our responsibilities but also being a reflection of God for them, and them being source of God’s comfort and love to you. “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2.
Commentaries on Philippians 2:4 provide a lot of ways to explain the importance of giving attention or making time for other people. In word studies to "look" means fixing the attention upon, with desire for or interest in. "Look also on the things of others". This means not making one's own interest as the one object of life but we have to regard the feelings, interest and wishes of other people in our lives with utmost caution (utmost caution may mean a lot of things and quite controversial. Let's just save this discussion for another time, shall we? *wink*).
Balance is not just having a relationship between God and you. It’s thinking about other people too and letting them in our lives.
After we give time to God and to others, the next logical thing is to give attention to ourselves. Is it not? There are a lot of ways to do this… we can go to the spa, go to the movies, buy a new shirt or shoes, read a book… I can go on and on. But, where do we actually start? For me, the best way is to take care of our minds. Yeah, I know! I'm a Psychology professional, what else do you expect me to say?
Taking care of our minds is just as important as taking care of our bodies. What goes on in our head forms the basis for and is largely revealed in our actions and words (Steven J. Cole). This simply means that whatever is in our head, our thoughts, composes a major part of who we really are. The ideas and images formed in our minds can eventually control us if we are not able to correct or manage them.
What I'm trying to say is, we can't choose what emotion to feel but we can decide what we are going to do with it. Thus it's crucial for us to submit our thoughts to God. We can't choose not to feel pain because that's the body's natural way of telling we got hurt. Nonetheless, we may choose how to respond to pain. Would you inflict pain on others as well? Or would you pray and ask God to help deal with the pain in the way He wants to? We can't prevent ourselves from feeling discouraged, but we can decide to stop that feeling by turning to our source of encouragement instead of giving up.
Having a healthy mindset helps us maintain balance in our lives. Let us condition our minds to be content, be humble, be trusting, be loving, understanding... Consider revolving your thoughts around Philippians 4:8;
Finally, brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are honest, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
If we have a clear picture of what God want us to have our in our thoughts and how we should manage it, balance in your decisions and choices will come.
