“A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones” (Proverbs 17:22 ESV).
“You don’t have to do that.” No matter what task I complained about, this proverbial phrase seemed to hover in my mind conflicting with my personal ideals. For example, how many times do you sweep or vacuum your home? Once a day? Once a week? Once a month? Each person you ask will have their own answer. What are you basing your opinion on, your own beliefs, or those of your family, friends, acquaintances, or perhaps even something you’ve heard on tv or read online? Perhaps the magazine “Good Housekeeping” provides the “real” answer. The truth is… even if the Queen of England (or other celebrity of your choice) should plan to visit your abode… “you don’t have to” clean. You can choose to let her sit in the filth which you are also content to live in.
I was tired of spending all my waking hours as the working. I determined to spend some time doing what I “wanted to do.” At first, I could hear various influences in my mind chastising me for the state of my house especially the kitchen, but my desire to do something I wanted to do overrode my sensibilities. I began a journey to do other things, arts and crafts, reading, cooking, recipe hunting, and sometimes simply “goofing off.” All of the distasteful, but ultimately necessary, tasks fell to the bottom of my to do list and there they languished awaiting the return of my propriety.
This season in my life has lasted far longer than I thought it would. As far as I fell off the wagon on the side of “work” I have now equally fallen on the side of “pleasure.” I find balance a hard thing to achieve perhaps because I lack self-control. Some people can say, “I’ll do this for an hour,” and then once time is up they get up and move on to the next task. I see the time go by and think… “well just 15 more minutes” until not only has my whole evening passed by but my bedtime as well. I grew up thinking I couldn’t allow myself to “rest” or do anything else until all my “work” was done. However, work is never done. There will always be something more to do. Pleasure is an even deeper time sink, there truly is no limit to what you could find to amuse yourself with when your object is to avoid tasks you find distasteful.
It is easy to be crushed under the pressures of both work and pleasure. I have not yet mastered balancing my life. I pray God will help me set things in their proper order so that I do not neglect the things I should do just because I can, nor take advantage of enjoyable activities to excess but be joyful and balanced in all things honoring the Lord.