I once heard Derwin Tom a professional photographer say, "a lot of people’s lives are like poor photographs. Over-exposed and underdeveloped."
Many of us are overexposed. We know many people and spread ourselves very thin relationally, but really our lives are underdeveloped.
We need to balance our lives if we want to stay effective for the long haul. Why?
First, a lack of balance leads to frustration.
Maybe you can relate to this: Sometimes I find myself working on one part of my life and then another part crumbles. It’s like playing that frustrating game of “Whack a Mole” at Chuck-E-Cheese. It’s a struggle to get everything under control.
Second, a lack of balance leads to fatigue.
When you buy a new set of tires, it is important to get them balanced. If you don’t do that, they will wear out easier and quicker! The same is true for in life. When you’re out of balance, you get tired.
We need to find balance in these five areas:
- Mental: You don’t just allow anything into your mind. You screen what comes in through God’s Word.
- Physical: We must take care of our bodies.
- Spiritual: We must maintain the spiritual habits that help us have a growing relationship with God.
- Emotional: We’re demonstrating the fruits of Spirit from Galatians 5.
- Social: Even if everything else is right in your life, if your relationships are wrong, you will still have major problems with your life.
- Am I mentally sharper than I was five years ago? If not, what am I going to do about the regression? (mental)
- Do I frequently complain of a lack of energy? Why? (physical)
- Am I regularly spending time talking to God and reading His Word? (spiritual)
- Do I worry a lot? Am I moody? Am I depressed easily? If so, what am I going to do about it? (emotional)
- Who can I count on as a genuine friend? Who can count on me? (social)
*If you honestly can't be straight with yourself pull in someone that can.
Where are you at?
Is your life / tank full or depleated?
The concept of the tank
What empties your tank?
What fills your tank?
Proverbs 14:8 says, “The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways but the folly of fools is deception.” (NIV) Wise people think about where they’re headed.
Here are three steps to help you do that:
STEP #1: Take inventory Do a self-examination. Have a mental, physical, spiritual, emotional and social checkup and evaluate your lifestyle. Ask yourself:
Don’t just rely on your own perceptions. Ask your spouse or a close friend some of these questions about you.
STEP #2: Write down a plan of action. Balance doesn’t come by accident; you’ve got to work at it. Ephesians 5:15 says, “So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise.” (NLT) How do you do that? You plan and prepare. A life of balance is marked by habits. If you’re living a life of balance, your plan will reflect successful habits in all areas of your life.
STEP #3: Make sure your relationship with God is central to your life. You don’t have the power to create a balanced life on your own. You will need God’s help. If God isn’t at the center of your, you will quickly slip out of balance. When you put Christ at the center of your life, the power comes through Him and flows to every part of your life. This gives you balance. That’s why the Bible says, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness… .”
Okay, now what?
Let's not just be observing readers but readers to take action.
Your ‘tank’ is your energy and your passion for what you do. A full tank is what keeps you going at full force, with all your creative juices flowing and your heart on fire. But everything you do costs you energy, some things more than others and they empty your tank slowly. So like the gas tank of a car, your tank of energy needs filling up. If you keep going without taking the time to fill up your tank, you’ll end up leading on empty. Once that meter hits ‘E’ and the red light starts blinking, you’ll be too late.
What empties your tank?
What are those things you do that really drain your energy? Maybe it’s the administrative tasks that come with the territory of being in youth ministry. Or maybe it’s pastoral conversations or visits to the high school or leading small group. How to know? It’s those things that make you tired, frustrated, or angry.
For me, it was meetings, especially those I had to attend but didn’t lead myself. I’d never been big on meetings, but when I started leading various ministries, I came to dread them. They were long, boring, often completely useless and they took up so much time that I could use far better otherwise. I always came home frustrated and exhausted from meetings like that. They were emptying my tank.
What empties your tank? Take some time to list those activities that frustrate you, wear you out or plain scare you. It’s okay to admit not loving everything about life and these insights will help you guard your health, spiritually, mentally and physically.
Pause... what? Pause, right now and take some the time to list all the things that are emptying your tank.
.................. ................ ............. come on..... just do it............
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Now that's done, let's list the things that fill YOUR tank.
These can be things you do that FILL your tank.
How? Ask yourself the simple question ‘what makes you feel better, more energized?’.
Pause... what? .... yep, here we go again. Take some the time to list all the things that FILL your tank.
.................. ................ ............. come on..... it's really worth your time............
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I know what fills my tank.
My fillers: Being physically active outdoors, followed by solitude, laughing, etc....
Tank drainers: watching TV, non-productive meetings, perfection expectations, etc...
Before taking time to think about this, I knew being physically active outdoors was important to me, but I hadn’t quite realized how crucially important solitude and laughing was for me. I love hanging out with people, but in order to stay sane, to keep my tank full, I need a few uninterrupted hours of solitude each week.
What fills your tank? What are those activities that make you happy, give you energy? It could be playing with your kids (I saw an interview Andy Stanley had with Rick Warren recently where Rick explained how playing with his kids reenergized him when they were younger), going out for a run, or watching a movie. It could be date night with your spouse, an evening with friends, or painting.
If you want to prevent leading on empty, you have to make sure your tank stays full. Take the time to do things that will fill up your tank, make them a priority and reserve time for these on your weekly schedule. Whenever possible, limit those things that empty it fast.
If we are to be transparent, the pace our society runs everyone is at risk for burnout in the long run. What are you doing about it? You can be sure I’m doing everything I can to keep my tank full.
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