Balance.
What a tricky and very Zen-like word. I used to think balance was the goal that would lead to a great life. As a young wife, mom, and ministry leader, I wanted to be the woman who had everything humming and working in perfect order. After all, I was a wellness professional; if anyone was supposed to achieve balance, it should be me. Right? Wrong. The more I strove for balance, the more frustrated I became. I felt like a circus performer trying to keep all my plates spinning on a stick while riding a unicycle.
I have come to realize that balance doesn’t exist. Balance, as the world defines it, would require me to be a jack-of-all-trades and a master of none. I’d have to devote one piece of myself to being a good wife who made sure the house was clean, dinner was in the oven, and my husband felt loved. Another piece of me would have to clean up after my kids, get them to all their doctor’s appointments, and be sure their teachers were happy with their progress. Yet another piece of me would be striving to keep my clients happy and myself in shape and up to date on developments in the fitness world. A final piece of me would try to spend time seeking after God.
And let me be honest . . . when I was attempting to keep my life balanced, that last part of me was sometimes the part I would overlook—even though I knew it was the most important. Trying to “balance” my life felt more like relying on excellent management skills than on being fully present and enjoying the good things in life.
Instead of seeking balance, I encourage you to seek wholehearted living, which means showing up to every circumstance completely as you are and where you are, and giving what you can. Wholehearted living means doing everything with great passion and purpose, even when you are asked to do something you are not good at. Still you show up, bringing your unique voice and your kind heart inside your one-of-a-kind beautiful body, believing you have something to offer that will create hope, love, and life in yourself and others.
Wholehearted people know who they are and whose they are. They know they can offer value and worth in every situation, even if it’s simply by bringing their presence. They give what they can and don’t shrink back in fear of being judged. And they don’t hold back for fear of running out because they know how to go to God, their source, to get more of what they need. You don’t have to be proficient at something to be effective at it. By showing up and being completely themselves, wholehearted people foster peace, joy, and growth in those around them because these qualities flow from within them.
The problem is, we can’t give away what we don’t have. We won’t be wholehearted until we begin to believe and act upon this truth: God loves me, accepts me, and tells me I am right with Him. This is called having righteousness, or being aligned with the all-encompassing love of God. It is by faith we are made righteous (see Romans 1:17). To be righteous is to be positioned with God’s rightness—His right way of feeling, thinking, speaking, and acting in all circumstances.
We must not forget that God is right. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (see John 14:6). We think we know the way, but we don’t know it unless we humble ourselves and seek God’s heart. He holds the map and the keys! Once you and I put our trust in Christ, it’s as if God tells us, “I see you seeing Me! Now I can pour all of Myself into you.”
Though my thoughts about myself and my life were once out of proper alignment and disordered—I thought I just needed to get all those plates spinning at once—God’s love entered, putting an end to my circus act and giving me peace. No longer do I need to live anxiously, scattering myself all over the place as I try to keep the plates in the air. I know that even if all the plates come crashing down on the floor, He will not be angry with my mess.
We live wholeheartedly when we know that we are totally and completely loved by God and that He wants to bring peace, hope, and beauty to the earth through us, each and every day in every situation. God invites us to join Him as He redeems, restores, and transforms the world by His love. That’s wholehearted living—trusting God to strengthen us when we don’t feel like we are enough and trusting Him to remove any prideful places in our hearts where we are tempted to build an altar to ourselves.
A life lived wholeheartedly, drawing upon the love of God, leads to true wellness. God calls you to approach your work, your play, your relationships, and even your eating and drinking this way. No matter how messy things might get, His love will lower every hill and raise every valley, so you are free to be fully and wholly you!
From The Wellness Revelation by Alisa Keeton
What would it take for you to make a change?
Weight loss can sometimes be a very self-focused endeavor. Maybe you have struggled with your weight your entire life, riding a constant roller coaster of numbers that go up and down. Or maybe you are finding yourself more stressed out by the world and all its demands. Perhaps you just don’t feel as well in your body as you do in your spirit.
In The Wellness Revelation, certified fitness professional Alisa Keeton will challenge you to get fit with God so that He can free you to complete your purpose. She teaches that when we get fit physically as well as spiritually, we will be better equipped to love and serve others. The Wellness Revelation will change the way you perceive yourself and the way that you live your life.
Each week in this eight-week journey includes a teaching from Alisa, weekly assignments, Bible study, small-group questions, and more. Alisa will encourage you to love God, get healthy, and serve others; and she will provide you with the tools to spread the gospel with courage, confidence, kindness, and freedom.
It’s time to make a change from the inside out.
