Do not wear yourself out to get rich; do not trust your own cleverness. – Proverbs 23:4

Today's Scripture Reading (November 20, 2022): Proverbs 23

In "Seriously … I'm Kidding," Ellen DeGeneres makes this comment. "My point is, life is about balance. The good and the bad. The highs and the lows. The pina and the colada.” I think DeGeneres is right. Ok, I'm not sure about the pina and the colada, but she is right about the rest of it, and there are so many other things that we need to balance in our lives. Life comes fully stocked with the good and the bad and its high and low points. And part of living is understanding that reality. Sometimes, I am afraid that we are so consumed with the "bad" and the "low" times in life that we miss the "good" and the "high." At least, I suspect that is true in my life.

But the idea of balance is so much more than that. Several years ago, I was sitting in a meeting where the participants were gathered around a table talking with the facilitator, diligently typing notes into his laptop. Then, as there often is, we hit a lull in the conversation. The facilitator continued to have his head down, diligently typing away. Then a participant sitting beside this leader leaned over and said, "You get more points if you can get that one." The boss looked up, stunned, and the rest of us laughed. What was fantastic about the moment was that the leader of the meeting was a very driven man, one who I'm not sure had ever played a video game. The comment and the reaction were perfect. If there were balance in his life, we didn't know where that balance showed its face. He seemed to be always working hard toward that next project or writing the next book. I hope he had balance, but I am not sure that is true.

Balance is hard, even for me. I know that I need more balance in my life. I work too much. Last night I just sat and watched T.V. You need to understand that I usually don't watch T.V.; I listen to it. It is on, but usually, my laptop is open, and I am working on something as I listen to the dialogue on the screen, sometimes not even getting that. But last night was different, and I just sat and watched, and then later felt guilty about what I didn't accomplish in that time. The idea of intentional balance between work and play, concentration and relaxation, and even being awake or asleep has always been tough. I average around 300 hours a month on some tasks connected with my job. It doesn't leave time for much else.

This saying of the wise reminds us about the importance of balance in our lives. Don't work hard trying to get rich or trusting in your cleverness. In every area of your life, seek balance. One of the balance things I have been working on is spending time every day and a solid month every summer reading something purely for enjoyment. Right now, that book is Neil Gaiman's "American Gods." But wisdom argues that whatever balance looks like to you, we must find it. And waiting for later doesn't work either; tomorrow is never guaranteed, so we have to find our balance today. The wise know that balance is worth pursuing in life.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Proverbs 24