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What is it that uses up your emotional, physical, and spiritual energy and leaves you living in “overdrawn” mode too much of the time? I conclude my thoughts today on living a balanced life. I mentioned you spend energy needlessly when you try to do more than you should, and when you surround yourself with too much stuff.
- Your strength is also used up when you have money problems. Credit cards can be our downfall. You might need to get on a budget and stop this drain on your life.
- Your strength is used up when you are not disciplined. Proverbs says we die from lack of discipline, and I believe with all my heart many of us are drained of energy because we refuse needed discipline in our lives.
I’ve started to think about it this way: Each day I start out with a certain amount in my emotional, physical and spiritual account—and they are very much interrelated. I must learn to spend that amount wisely. Let’s say I start with $100 in that account today.
Now, early in the day I get frustrated because of traffic problems and I foolishly spend $20 of energy on it. As I arrive at work, I encounter a rude customer on the phone, and I spend $25 of emotional energy on that. Then that co-worker irritates me again, and without realizing it, I’ve spent $15 there. My boss puts another deadline on me, and that stress costs me $30. Then I make a mistake and get mad at myself for that failure and spend $20 on that, and before noon I’m broke! I’m overdrawn!
Now the rest of the day I’m living out of balance, so I’m much more likely to say things I shouldn’t say, react poorly, have a bad attitude, feel fatigued, depressed, discouraged, etc. Tell the truth, did you ever have that kind of day when you foolishly spent your energy on things that didn’t really matter?
We have to get better, by God’s grace, at spending our energy. Pick your fights; don’t let the little stuff beat you down. Pray at all those points of irritation—quick prayers asking God to give you perspective and put that energy back into your account so it’s there for the important things.
Remember, to live in balanced mode, not overdrawing your emotional, physical, and spiritual accounts. You’ve got to make the right deposits and then spend your energy wisely on things that have some significance. This will help you make better choices about priorities and keep your perspective on what’s important and what isn’t. I encourage you to make it your goal, by God’s grace, to live in a balanced way.
