Balance or Rhythm by Lorilee Guenter

"By The Book" photo by Bruce Guenter

Balance is a myth created to keep me from embracing the rhythms of life . Ecclesiastes 3:1 opens with "there is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens." The list of opposites brings to mind the old playground teeter-totter. If the opposing individuals were similar weight, it was possible to get the teeter-totter to balance as a straight beam. More often the partners couldn't hold the balance due to weight differences. One partner would be pushed up while the other dropped down. The goal of a teeter-totter is to keep it in motion. The achievement of balance halted motion.

Instead of chasing balance, I'm working to create movement, and rhythm. Sometimes the movement is rapid, other times it is a languid motion that takes attention to recognize, like the slow movement through winter. We mark time through seasons, through months, weeks, and days. In some places it may seem like the entire range of weather happens at once. We hear the saying: All four seasons in one week, or one day," yet even during these times we're not experiencing January and July simultaneously. It is either January or it is July.

There's a time and a season for every activity. We are tearing down or we are building up (v.3); we are silent or we are speaking (v.7). If we talk strictly about balance, it lends itself to an absurd reference to ratios. If we speak 50% of the time we should be silent 50% of the time, just like January and July each have 31 days. They hold equal weight within the year. What happens when God calls us to speak up, or write, and we've already used up our 50% of speech for the week? What if a friend, neighbour, or acquaintance needs us to just listen instead of us interjecting our own thoughts. I recognize I've taken these on these to an extreme. No one expects us to count the minutes we speak versus those we are silent. No one tries to live January and July in alternating days. Instead I am learning to lean into a rhythm of seasons. With a rhythm I progress through alternating activity, emotion, responsibility, hopes, and dreams, each in their own time. I learn to give them the space they need. Sometimes I walk through them in a straight line. Sometimes, like with the weather, it seems like they all happen in a day. There is no prescribed timeline. There's movement. If the season of grief is heavy, like the larger teeter-totter partner, it may take extra time to get to the dancing (v.4). The encouragement in these verses is that the dancing will come. Seasons change, in life as with the weather.

As I walk through this life I have been given, I'm learning to recognize my rhythms. They may not be the same rhythm as what God has given you, but he is walking with both of us. Ecclesiastes 3:11a "he has made everything beautiful in its time." Everything is known by God. Everything has a season, even when I can't see it. In the middle of the tears I want laughter because I don't like to cry. I can take courage from the fact the tears won't last. They have their season. I'm thankful that God knows what we need each season, each activity, and each day.

My writing seasons, my organizing seasons, my gardening seasons, and my life seasons all have a rhythm. Sometimes I notice them and sometimes I don't. My life season is in transition. The girls are adults and now need a different type of energy and presence from me than they did while growing up. My writing, my hobbies, and my studies no longer need to occupy the margins of life. Whether in the margins or not, my writing has times of reflection and times of action. Sometimes I want to linger in reflection even when God is calling me to the action of putting words on the page. Sometimes I want to rush ahead. I continue to learn that whether I'm laughing or crying, reflecting or writing, God is in the season with me. He is leading me from shadow to light. No matter the season, I can be confident of His presence and His leading.

Lorilee Guenter enjoys gardening, reading and more. During the summer, her and her husband Bruce often hit the nearby trails. He carries a camera. She carries a sketchbook.

A Time to Speak by Steph Beth Nickel

Politics. Racial tension. Religion.

You likely have strong feelings about one, if not all, of these issues. 

But before jumping into the fray, it’s important to remember what the Lord says in His Word.

In Ecclesiastes 3:7, it says there is “a time to keep silence, and a time to speak” (ESV).

Now, does that mean we shouldn’t care about these and other important issues? Does it mean we should bury our head in the sand? Does it mean we should go about our day-to-day as if nothing life-changing is happening? Of course not.

It does mean, however, that it’s important to prayerfully research the topic and ask the Lord how He wants us to get involved. The key to making long-term change is to respond, not react.

Before We Become Involved

Prayer – As believers, we should never underestimate the impact prayer can have. It has the potential to change us, those closest to us—and the world.

Research – While social media does play an important role in 21st century life, it can also ignite the fire, fan the flames, and burn our sanity to the ground. (Okay, so I may have taken the analogy a little too far, but you get the idea.) It’s important to learn from reliable, trusted sources—and not just those that support our point of view. Too much contradictory information can confuse us, but only listening to those who agree with us isn’t the answer either.

Discover – There are many ways to get involved in “hot button” topics. The more we research these issues, the more likely it is we will discover one or two that deeply resonate with us.

Prioritize – Each of us can only keep so many plates spinning at any given time. We must honestly examine our life and see what responsibilities and downtime activities we have to back away from or quit altogether if we’re going to devote a significant amount of time to a new focus.

Trust – When we ask the Lord for wisdom, He promises to give it. We can trust that He will guide our steps.

How to Become Involved

More Prayer – We ought to seek the Lord every step of the way.

There are various levels of commitment required, depending on how involved we want to become … 

Comment on posts we agree with and those we don’t. This may require a minimal amount of time—or it could draw us into lengthy, emotional debates. We may even lose friends in the process. It’s important to proceed with caution.

Link to resources we believe would be helpful for our social media friends and followers to investigate. If the discussion gets heated, we have the opportunity to diffuse the situation—or ban certain commenters. Not all those who respond have to agree with us or like the resources we’ve directed them to, but it is important that they be respectful of those whose views are different than theirs. 

Write blog posts, articles, and books. The more strongly we feel about a topic, the more important we feel it is, the more likely we are to write or speak about it. We must weigh our current priorities, our long-term goals, and what we believe God is calling us to. Obviously, if we decide to write a book on the topic, it will take far longer than if we write a blog post or an article.

What topics are especially important to you? 

How are you getting involved?