You want to do it all.  Lead others closer to Christ.  Set a good example.  Walk with people in their struggles.  Improve the programs and ministries you have.  All while utilizing the gifts God has given you.  You stack one thing on top of the next, hoping it will all hold and the pile won’t come crumbling down.

It can be overwhelming to look at you life overall when you feel that something’s off but can’t name it.  You can get so busy doing that you will miss taking a break and just being.  Being a child of the God the Father; being a spouse; being a friend; just sitting in God’s presence as you are and be-ing.  Just be.  Sit and be who you are in your Father’s eyes.

At times things feel off in your life and you can’t seem to determine what’s going wrong or why things aren’t right.  Going through the five areas below and completing this evaluation and reflection process will help you focus on and determine what area of your life is out of balance.

A perpetual challenge in ministry is trying to keep your life balanced.  For me, it can be a daily battle.  I’m constantly juggling trying to meet the needs of my ministry, exceed the expectations of my pastor, continue in my spiritual formation and relationship with Christ, progress in my intellectual studies (I’m currently in graduate school), keep up with my friends and family, and all this doesn’t event touch on the demands of day-to-day life (chores, finances, etc.).  Looking at this as a whole can be quite overwhelming.

So how can you practically keep your life balanced in a healthy way?  Focus on the 5 main areas of your life:  spiritual, intellectual, social, physical, and financial.

  1. SPIRITUAL – How is your relationship with Screen Shot 2015-08-23 at 10.54.18 PMChrist and time in prayer (personally, with family, with friends, at church, etc.)?  How are you giving the Lord time to minister to you, time to simply be with Him?  Don’t forget that God is more concerned about the ministry He does in you, than the ministry you do for Him.
  2. INTELLECTUAL – What is your continued growth and formation (reading, audiobooks, lectures, classes)?  How are you intellectually challenged and growing?
  3. SOCIAL – How are your relationships with others (family, friends, etc.)?If you’re married, are you spending adequate time with your spouse/children?  Do you set aside time for you and your spouse to have date nights and continue forming your spousal bond?
    If you’re single, are you intentional about setting aside time for friends? If you’re single and called to the vocation of married it is vital that you keep time carved out so that when you meet your future spouse you already have a habit of carving out time for that special someone.
  4. PHYSICAL – Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19-20). How are you honoring this gift of your body that God has given you?  Are you eating right and exercising?  Are you taking care of yourself emotionally?  Are you getting enough sleep each night?
  5. FINANCIAL – How are you supporting your lifestyle?  Is it in a healthy way, not working excessive hours that abuse your body?  Are you living within your financial means, ensuring not to cause undue stress through finances?  Are you being paid a fare wage?

12Looking at these 5 areas in your life, what percentage should each section receive, in order for your life to be happy and healthy?  Would it be distributed evenly at 20% each?

Now, being honest with yourself, what are the true percentages of each section?  Which section is receiving the largest amount of time and energy?  Why?

In order to see where we need to grow, we need to recognize where our weaknesses are.  We must continually acknowledge that ‘I am not the Messiah.’  It’s not my job to save pople’s souls; Jesus has that covered.  I am called to seek the heavenly King, allow Him to love on me, and let that love flow through me as a vessel, overflowing onto others.

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