I once had the wonderful opportunity to live in Shanghai, China. While there I learned, or rather, observed a people’s dedication to “balance” or “Ying-Yang”. The Chinese culture strongly believes that life is about balance in all aspects. If they have something wonderful happen, they are wary of something bad occuring. If they eat something sweet, like chocolate, they eat something savory too, say…. fried scorpion. (never did get that) They actively exercise to offset when they have rested. They work… and they celebrate. Needless to say, while extremely impressed, I did not learn from them.
As an “American”, I work… hard. I wake, shower, drive, work, eat, come home, work, eat, work, sleep… on to the next day. I find moments when I take a moment to wonder, how the hell did I get here? I look at my children and they are almost grown and I look in the mirror and I wonder whom is looking back. I run at such a pace to keep up with the rest of the world (at least my little world) and wear myself out, for what?
God gave us this life to be lived, so why does our culture not live it. A spanish friend of my stated, “You Americans, you don’t know how to live.” What he was speaking to is that in his home country, they did things like; took 2 hour lunches with nice food and wine, ate out door with family and friends and savored what their life had to offer. How wonderfully romantic, wish I had time…
So what does this rambling have to to with “us”. Am I shaking a finger stating “they” are right and we are wrong, no, it’s not that simple. What I feel that we, mostly I, need it to seek balance. I have been reading books about leading a life for Christ that is radically different that the life I lead now. The temptation presents itself to simply dump the life I am living and switch to the “better”, more Christ-like lifestyle. As I seek wisdom and dig through my spiritual life, I am learning that I need to seek balance. Not all run-and-gun living, and not all self-sacrificing… something in the middle.
Thoughts?
1OR
3 responses so far ↓
Jamie Norris // May 22, 2008 at 3:23 am
My darling Hubs you have balance and you bring balance to our home and our lives, just by living. A shining example of following our Lord can be found right here, in you, in what we are creating and doing and serving. Soul food. Keep on groovin’.
deana331 // June 19, 2008 at 1:59 pm
Balance will always be a struggle for humans. Some balances are outward, such as do I take a lunch? Do I exercise? Do I eat right?
The trickier balance in internal. Do I think of others’ needs outside of my life? Do I covet or anger instead of be grateful and forgive?
Recently, I read a quote that has me chewing on it…it said:
Of the Seven Deadly Sins, anger is possibly the most fun. To lick your wounds, to smack your lips over grievances long past, to roll over your tongue the prospect of bitter confrontations still to come, to savor to the last toothsome morsel both the pain you are given and the pain you are giving back—in many ways it is a feast fit for a king. The chief drawback is that what you are wolfing down is yourself. The skeleton at the feast is you. – Frederick Buechner, “Wishful Thinking”
I am also pondering this scripture:
… it is an unhappy business that God has given to human beings to be busy with. I saw all the deeds that are done under the sun; and see, all is vanity and a chasing after wind. – Ecclesiastes 1:13-14
I will be blogging on Ying and Yang later today. Stay tuned.
deana331 // June 24, 2008 at 3:08 am
Okay, so I haven’t blogged yet, but it is in the works. Stay tuned