There is an appointed time for everything,

and a time for every affair under the heavens…

Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NAB)

With that simple sentence begins one of the most-quoted set of verses from the Bible. We know many of them by heart…”A time to be born…a time to die,” “A time to weep…a time to laugh,” etc. But as balanced as these verses are, so often when you live with a serious illness or awful pain, our focus lands squarely on the more negative part of each of the verses. Yes, as we try to make sense of our lives peppered with health challenges, we try to understand the times when we “rend,” “tear down,” “feel pain,” “lose [health].”

And we forget the other end of the seesaw – that which is positive!

Just because we hurt or have a chronic illness does not mean that the pleasant, lovely, delightful, joy-filled parts of life are off-limits for us. And just because we are deeply scarred from our disappointments and frustrations does not mean that God withholds that which is positive from us. Often, we do not feel delight, joy, or pleasure because we do not allow ourselves to do so. And often we do not allow balance to ease our suffering so that along with our pain, we do feel love and find comfort.

As I’ve become more aware of the possibility of Ecclesiastes-like balance in my life, I’ve found more of it. And what a relief that is! Truly, my perspective on the ordeal of living day-to-day with illness is greatly enhanced by knowing that God also allows great blessings of a joy-filled kind, yes, even if there are dark clouds hovering overhead.

Truly, the more we are attuned to balance – emotional, physical, spiritual – the greater our lives grow, mature, and blossom!

Joy and peace,

Maureen