Many people envision an idealized life of balancing life’s various demands of life, work, family, etc. We often desire to devote maximum effort to each area all of the time. The result is we end up frustrated feeling that we haven’t done well in any of the areas of our lives.

The world of nature operates according to specific rhythms. We are familiar with our yearly seasons and our quotidian cycle of day and night. There are lunar rhythms every 29.5 days that affect our tides. Physiologically we are designed to live in a circadian rhythm. We also have ultradian rhythms, which are cycles shorter than 24 hours, that affect our sleep cycle as well as our daily performance.

We ignore our personal rhythms to our peril. The expectation that we must be running at full speed without a break is a recipe for frustration and exhaustion. God has designed us to work six days and then take a day of rest:

Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work (Exodus 20:8-9)

Are you walking in rhythm? The writer of Ecclesiastes presented several examples of seasons in our lives:

There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven— (Ecclesisates 3:1)

The author points out that there are different seasons in our lives. The following verses present fourteen polar opposites illustrating the various rhythms of life. There are two different Hebrew words used for the word time in this verse. The Septuagint, which is the Greek translation of the Old Testament, reveals the subtle nuances of these words. The first word for time is the Greek word chronos from which we derive our English word chronometer that refers to the extent of time. The second word used for time is the word kairos that refers to an opportune time.

When we ignore our physiological rhythms and attenuate our sleep schedule we suffer the consequences of not walking in rhythm. Jesus is our perfect example. He was busy about His Father’s business, but He was never harried or stressed. He made time to meet with God, even in the midst of a demanding schedule:

In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there. (Mark 1:35)

Our danger is that we seek for a mythical state of balance in our lives and we become frustrated because we never achieve a sense of balance. It seems that we’re always in a state of disequilibrium. If we walking in rhythm, we give up our quixotic quest for balance and seek to engage in our various rhythms. This means saying no to certain areas in your life so you can say yes to other areas. This requires discernment and guidance from the Holy Spirit.

Associate Pastor – Discipleship.  The Church at LifePark

Professor of Discipleship, Columbia International University

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