It’s all about balance.

No doubt, you’ve heard this phrase thrown around as a be-all-end-all solution to life’s struggles. Just find the right balance — with God, family, friends, work, school, food, finances, time — and your problems will go away. Or, at least, that’s the idea.

But is it true?

And if finding balance really is the key, how the heck do you actually find it?

Definition of Balance

Merriam-Webster offers a variety of definitions, from scientific and accounting-based to a few with everyday life application. Let’s look at the latter.

• Balance (noun) : mental and emotional steadiness
• Balance (noun) : a means of juggling or deciding
• Balance (verb) : to bring into harmony or proportion

In my opinion, these three definitions, together, accurately describe our human need to fix what feels out of whack in our lives.

Balance might seem like an intimidating juggling act — or, at least, that’s the analogy often used. And balancing — OR being out of balance — affects us mentally and emotionally, as well as physically and spiritually. In the end, we just want a life of steadiness and harmony. Is that too much to ask?

Certainly not!

In fact, God promises to be our steady, solid rock and source of peace — even in the midst of our struggles.

Bible Verses on God’s Steadiness and Peace

Psalm 18:2 (NLT) — “The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.”

Psalm 40:2 (NLT) — “He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along.”

John 14:27 (NLT) — “[Jesus said]  I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.”

John 16:33 (NLT) — “[Jesus said] I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

So, if God promises us balance and Jesus has already made it freely available to us, how do we grasp it for ourselves? Why does it seem so elusive?!

What Cheerleading Taught Me About Finding Balance

This entire post was inspired by a recent, random memory of high school cheerleading practice. As a freshman, I learned the art of the heel stretch — performed by balancing on one leg while lifting and holding your other leg straight overhead, toe pointed.

Not only did this stunt require advanced flexibility, it also demanded balance. And to help us develop better balance, our coach made us compete to see who could hold that pose the longest. Last cheerleader standing. I’m more of a quiet competitive type who loves a challenge, so you can bet I was determined to beat everyone — seniors included. And partway into the season, I did. I beat ’em all. More than once.

I was able to hold the heel stretch pose for minutes at a time, and typically came in first or second place during our practice-time competitions — but only after I learned the secret. TWO secrets, actually.

Two Crucial Steps to Find Balance (in Your Life)

1. Focus on one thing
2. Stop tensing and relax

When I heard this advice as a freshman cheerleader, I applied it very literally to achieve balance on one foot. The idea of using these steps to find balance in my everyday life simply did not occur to me at the time. In fact, it wasn’t until the recent, random high school memory popped into my head that the lightbulb flickered on. Or maybe it was the Holy Spirit. Either way, I realized that my lesson in balancing all those years ago wasn’t just for cheerleading.

These steps not only apply to everyday life, but they are also biblical. Let’s look at the proof in God’s Word.

Focus on God

Just like balancing on one leg requires focusing on a single spot without moving your gaze, a balanced (aka. steady and peaceful) life is only possible by staying focused on God. When your gaze wavers away from Him, your life wavers, too. No doubt, you’ve felt this. I know I have!

Throughout the Bible, we see examples of men and women whose lives reflect a focus fixed on God. We also read about the real-life consequences faced by those who looked away from God. The story of Jesus walking on water in Matthew 14:28-31 (NLT) comes to mind.

“[28] Then Peter called to him, ‘Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.’ [29] ‘Yes, come,’ Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. [30] But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. ‘Save me, Lord!’ he shouted. [31] Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. ‘You have so little faith,’ Jesus said. ‘Why did you doubt me?’

Indeed. Why do we doubt? Why is looking to Jesus so hard?

Hebrews 12:2 (ERV) offers a reason to trust. “We must never stop looking to Jesus. He is the leader of our faith, and he is the one who makes our faith complete. He suffered death on a cross. But he accepted the shame of the cross as if it were nothing because of the joy he could see waiting for him. And now he is sitting at the right side of God’s throne.”

Jesus is “the leader of our faith” who “makes our faith complete.” And a complete faith sounds a lot like stability and peace to me. When Peter “saw the strong wind and waves” in Matthew 14, he took his eyes off Jesus. His faith in Jesus waivered. And Jesus rebuked him. “Why did you doubt me?”

As humans, we are prone to doubting. Yet, God promises not to rebuke us when we first ask for wisdom.

“[5] If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. [6] But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. [7] Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. [8] Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.” (James 1:5-8, NLT)

So, if focusing on God — and only God — seems too hard, don’t give up so quickly. Don’t rely on your own strength. Ask God for wisdom to see His truth and promises above the lies and chaos all around you. And that is the perfect segue into step two.

Keep Calm, Let Go and Let God

I wrote an entire blog post on how to let go and let God, so I won’t dive into that here, but relaxing does require releasing your grip on the things in life you want to control. For me, as a teenage cheerleader, balancing on one leg required relaxing my muscles instead of clenching them tightly in an effort to “control” the stability of my leg. It may seem counterintuitive to achieve balance by letting go, but it works — with cheerleading stunts and with God.

In Psalm 62:1-2 (NLT), David writes, “[1] I must calm down and turn to God; only he can rescue me. [2] He is my Rock, the only one who can save me. He is my high place of safety, where no army can defeat me.”

“I must calm down.”

It’s hard to relax when you’re anxious, afraid, and stressed, right? David knew this. He also knew the answer is always God — “the only one who can save” us from our chaotic, unbalanced lives.

The first three verses of Psalm 23 (ERV) also speak to the calming peace that only comes from God.

“[1] The Lord is my shepherd. I will always have everything I need. [2] He gives me green pastures to lie in. He leads me by calm pools of water. [3] He restores my strength. He leads me on right paths to show that he is good.”

Having everything we need doesn’t mean we’ll have everything we want. It’s a promise that God will provide what He knows we need, and we can find contentment — and peace — in that promise. Through God’s provision, He also restores (aka. fixes) what feels broken and out of balance in our lives. Then, to keep us in balance, He leads us down the exact path we need to avoid unnecessary stress and heavy burdens we weren’t meant to carry.

Because a balanced life is one free from exhaustion and heaviness.

In Matthew 11:28-30 (ERV), Jesus invites us to, “[28] Come to me all of you who are tired from the heavy burden you have been forced to carry. I will give you rest. [29] Accept my teaching. Learn from me. I am gentle and humble in spirit. And you will be able to get some rest. [30] Yes, the teaching that I ask you to accept is easy. The load I give you to carry is light.”

Again, releasing control of everything you are desperate to balance may not seem logical, but it is what God asks us to do in faith. At the end of the day, we all want to believe balance leads to a more enjoyable life. And guess what? God says it does in Proverbs 3:1-2 (EASY): “[1] My child, do not forget what I teach you. Always think carefully about my commands. [2] If you obey them, you will live a long life. You will have peace in your mind, and you will enjoy your life.”

So if you’re looking for balance today, start by looking to God.

“Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.” (1 Chronicles 16:11, NIV)

Then, let go of those burdens that have you feeling so out of whack.

It sure takes practice, but your balance will last a lot longer than those few minutes I spent holding a heel stretch — because God’s promises are forever.

Let’s practice our balance together, with no competition, just encouragement!