photo by: Kathy Escobar

The hardest thing to find in life is balance. Sometimes, work or play can take too much space that there is no room for anything else. As Christians, oftentimes we struggle to keep our spiritual life as our main priority. Prayer and devotion usually take a backseat to the many demands of daily business.

And we wonder why we feel worn out at the end of the day.

If we are really honest with ourselves, we ought to have a regular check-up on what keeps our days going. We may have set goals for work and accomplish it, or we may set-aside time for exercise and hygiene and reach it. But in the following seven areas of balance, how well do we fare in each of them?

1. Spirituality–How often do we pray? When trouble comes, do we often find ourselves looking for God in each situation? How often do ask God for guidance in all the areas of our lives?
2. Family/Marriage–Are we too busy in making a living to live? Do we reach out and communicate with our spouse, establish a good relationship with our own parents, spend quality time with our children?
3. Financial–What are our principles involving money: how we spend it, how we invest it, or what risks we take with it?
4. Personal Growth–Do take time to read? Do we try to find inspirational people to interact with? Do we listen to uplifting and encouraging music?
5. Physical–Do we take time to exercise? Go to the doctor for a check-up? Find a sport that will keep us physically fit?
6. Professional/Career–Are we trying to better ourselves with the right education? Go to career-focused training? Are we working hard in our jobs?
7. Social–How well do we keep our friends? Are we reaching out to help and better our friendships?

All our decisions play an important role in keeping balance in the seven items listed above. Each choice we make will play a huge part in tipping the scale one way or the other. Example, if you choose to work as a blogger, chances are you need to set aside an extra time to exercise. The choice not to exercise may be show on the weighing scales.

When we evaluate our “balance” and see that we need help in certain areas, it is best to set a goal for each of them. With goals, it is also best to put it in measurable amounts like: how many days, how many calories, how much are we going to earn at the end of a certain period, how many hours per day.

At the end, when we reached our goals, we will still need to go back and re-balance by setting new goals. But it will be we worth the effort.