A Balanced Life

Have you ever seen someone walk a high wire? What does it take? One word, balance. Many have poles, some use their arms, but all must have incredible balance. Balance, it’s something we’ve lost in our society. It seems that everyone must be democratic or republican, liberal or conservative, pop-culture or sub-culture. There appears to be no place for someone who wants to be in the middle. Someone once told me that if you try to live in the middle you end up getting ran over by people on both sides. It seems to me that too many people have lost the concept of living a balanced life. We camp in extremes. Whether it is ministers, churches, Christians, or people in general, we tend to only associate with those who are like us, agree with our positions and do what we do. I’m thankful for Nathaniel Urshan, the pastor I had as a young man. He invited ministers to his pulpit who were young and old, conservative or liberal, same in doctrine and some who were slightly different. You couldn’t put him in a camp, he associated with so many. He pastored his saints as individuals, and allowed people to be distinctive, there was room in his church for all types of personalities. He didn’t condone all they did, nor did he condemn, he preached with conviction, taught with passion, and loved with Godly compassion. His example has been the blueprint of how I’ve tried to live my life, in balance. As a parent, I’ve tried to live steadily before my kids, as a person, I’ve tried to live moderately, and as a pastor I’ve tried to invite all kinds of people to the Life pulpit. My advice today, live in the middle, invite all kinds of people into your life. Learn from them. Maybe, if enough of us get in the middle, people will see more of Jesus.