Achieving Balance {Proverbs 31:20-22}

"She extends her hand to the poor,

And she stretches out her hands to the needy.

She is not afraid of the snow for her household,

For all her household are clothed with scarlet.

She makes coverings for herself;

Her clothing is fine linen and purple."

~Proverbs 31:20-22

The Proverbs 31 woman cares for the poor and needy, provides quality items for the needs of her household, and dresses well-- in that order. Balancing generous giving and having nice things for your family and yourself is a difficult balance and one that I have yet to achieve.  Sometimes I am so eager to have something nice that I buy it before considering others needs. Sometimes I feel like if I don't "give till it hurts" and deny myself everything but the bare necessities, then I am being selfish and ungodly.

These verses provide a model different than both of those approaches.  First they suggest giving when God puts a need in front of me. Then make sure to spend resources to anticipate and provide quality things for my family's needs. And finally, take care of myself as well by investing in my own appearance.  After all, I am a reflection of my family and my God.  I think the order of these things is important but it is also important to note that come time to take care of herself, there were still resources left {possibly that had been saved to address this priority} and she had no reason to feel guilty about having nice things.

Even with this model in mind, it can still be difficult to find a good balance. Wouldn't it be easier if there was a formula for exactly how much to spend on each area? But I think, as usual, the key to finding balance is not necessarily in focusing so much on the things that need to be balanced, but rather focusing on the One who provides the resources we are called to balance.

Have you ever held out your hand and tried to keep it completely still? It seems the harder you focus on not moving the hand, the more difficult the task becomes. I know for me when practicing yoga and attempting various balance poses, if I focus on balancing itself, I will surely fall. But if I focus on my breath as it restores my body, then I find previously difficult poses much easier.

I think the same principle applies to our spiritual lives whether it be allocating our financial resources or some other area that requires a delicate balance.  If I focus on God's character and how that relates to my purpose in life of bringing honor and glory to Him in all that I do, then questions of balance become simpler. When God puts a need in front of me and moves my heart, then I must be sensitive to His calling to give generously.  But God also delights in blessing his children and providing for our needs as well. So I can give thanks and bring honor and glory to God by providing nice things for our family at times when God has seen fit to bless us financially.

~Striving to practice balance by fixing my eyes on Jesus~