Balance...

My sponsor used to tell me that if I worked really, really hard on my character defects, that I could get really, really good at them. I noticed that the June Grapevine issue is on "Balance". I have a similar story there - my achievement of balance.

Over the years, I've tried and talked about achieving balance or improved balance in my life. Seems like when I do, I'm spitting in the wind in that I immediately see some part of my life or another (sometimes ALL of my life) go completely out of whack.

So, my advice to my sponsees when they ask about achieving the balance that they perceive in my life and want is that they stop focusing on it - that they give themselves wholly to "what is next" and that, over time, they will discover that "God is doing for them what they could not do for themselves..." At least that is my experience.

Don't get me wrong - I'm sure the Grapevine has a fine collection of articles and I hope to learn some tools and tips from others' experiences. But for me, if I focus on balance, I will invariably screw something up. Like, when I've focused on establishing boundaries in relationships, I've built walls and isolation that takes me years to tear down. When I focus on being honest, I'm dealt a moral dilemma that seems to be life and death. When I focus on humility, what I get is a social situation where my ineptitude leaves me in complete despair (humiliation)...

...maybe my efforts at controlling how my life should look stops with the 3rd step...?

...just a thought...

As I get further down this road, it truly seems to be one surrender opportunity after another...

...and, how others might see that is balance....

...I guess...