The other day I was with my boys in the park, and two people approached, which appeared to be a dad and his teenage daughter. They were walking up the road pushing their bikes, when they got to the top of the road it became apparent that the dad was teaching His teenage daughter to ride a bike for the first time. Many would think, isn’t it a bit late to do that…not knowing the circumstances surrounding the “late” start. Two people actually passed laughing, one of them scoffed saying, “I think she needs training wheels!” Just that statement alone, put her off balance even more. I personally applauded her ambition. Her dad seemed to be a bit tough on her, so she struggled quite a bit, but then her dad gave her a few tips, rode off with his bike and left her alone to try on her own. When she was by herself, she was determined to get it right. At first she could barely remain on the bike for five seconds, but then she managed to evenly distribute her weight enabling her to remain upright and steady. Yes! she found her balance!
Now life is not always like getting onto a bike, the weight can’t always be distributed evenly, some pressures weigh a bit more than others, and it can be hard to find a balance at times. All of us desire to live a balanced, fruitful life that comprises healthy, blessed rhythms of work, ministry, rest and play. Most of us have a desire to be fully present in all the areas of life that God has called us to.
My dad was called to full time ministry the year before my birth, so I’ve been a pastor’s kid since birth. My mom a teacher, so I’d see her juggle work, studies, family and ministry. I remember one evening in particular that has stuck with me, I was about 5 years old and my sister about 9. My mom was getting ready to leave for an evening study group / class, and when she had greeted, ran out of the door and left, I balled my eyes out! I was sitting in the passage crying, asking my sister loads of questions which I wasn’t getting any answers to. My sister, fed-up with my crying, yells out, “Eulalia, stop it now, you gonna have to get used to this.” Get used to it…All I wanted was for mom to be present at that moment…Although it was hard for me to understand back then, years later, I do. Even though they had ministry and work taking up a lot of their time, when I think back, my dad always tried his best to take-off from the office to be at school events during the day when mom couldn’t make it, like the sports events, coming to watch me run cross-country at our inter-house, and they’d both try and make the other extramural activities, like choir competitions, or inter-school-public speaking etc. What we loved the most as kids was, they made it a point to take us on regular family get-away breaks, we remember those trips, it’s those experiences that have stuck with us…they were indeed present. They did indeed make time for for both ministry and family, and maybe they didn’t always get it right, but they tried. However, what I remember most about growing up in my parents household, was the time they withdrew from all the busyness to pray. Whether it was being woken up in the early morning hours by the sounds of their prayerful voices, or during the day or evening finding their room door closed and hearing them seek God’s face. This is where, I know, they found their strength to manage all, reminds me of Isaiah 30:15 “For thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: In returning and rest you shall be saved; In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.” Other versions read; “In Quietness and Trust shall be your strength.” We have to stop, be quiet and trust.
Just like the girl on the bike, when there were no crowds cheering her on, or those scoffing, she remained steady.
Jesus, himself, left the crowds, and withdrew to the wilderness regularly, to pray. (Luke 5:15-16)
In one of the Theology of Work Project plans, in finding a work life balance, they state:
We have to make it an ambition to pray and lead a quiet life. There will always be more work to do! There will always be a crowd to celebrate our good work. The crowd praised Jesus for what He did, so He withdrew. He stopped healing people in order to pray. Jesus did not come to do good deeds and work hard to redeem the world by the sweat of His brow. Jesus Christ redeemed the world by His very nature, which could not be constrained by death. We must have this same mindset as Jesus, we must withdraw daily and visit with God. God will remind us of our very nature. He will say, “You are my child.” And when we are before God, our daily to-do lists will be manageable and good. Our obligations will seem light. After prayer, we will be able to pick up the phone and serve the crowd without anxiety.
- Eulalia Vaughan