Matthew 6:33 “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”    We want a balanced life as a Christian and leader.  It’s God’s plan for us. He even established our universe on the principle of balance.  The earth’s axis and rotation are in perfect balance to prevent it and us from being burned up or frozen to death.  Our physical bodies are created to run smoothly on the principle of balance in every system working together.  When one system, like the cardiovascular or renal system, gets out of balance, the rest of our body gets out of balance and our overall health is in danger.  God is the perfecter of balance and Jesus is the prime example of a balanced life.  He never got so busy that he was stressed and out of balance.  He always took time to rest just as God had given the formula of balance when He created man in the garden and provided a day of rest and balance.

My wife and I have watched a lot of the Tour de France again this year and marveled at the balance of the riders on their bicycles.  This was so evident last week when a rider was going too fast down a steep mountain decline and lost his balance and control.  He crashed into the rock parapet retaining wall and went head over heels into the woods below.  He had ear buds and a small speaker to communicate with his team for help.  Fortunately, he was not badly hurt but the principle of balance came to mind.  We get so busy and stressed in our personal lives, families, and work that we lose our balance and subject ourselves to a crash. We may not be listening to warnings from the One Who knows the road ahead.  We may have a hard time saying, “NO.”  Our Scripture this week reminds us that we are to seek God first and the other things in life will be balanced.  The bottom line is that life and leadership are much like riding a bicycle.  When we go too fast, become stressed and lose focus of God first, we lose our balance and suffer the consequences.  Who has control of the handlebars on the bike?  We do and when we begin to lose our balance, we are to listen to God speaking to us.  It is then our personal responsibility to turn the handlebars of our lives and get things back in balance.  When we make Christ the center hub of our lives, we can stay balanced as He gives us communication, guidance, stability, control and priority in life.