The Balancing ActEsimerkki

The Seven Spheres of Life

Life as we know it is God’s idea. So, it’s ironic that some Christians think certain aspects of their lives needn’t be submitted to God. Perhaps you tend to compartmentalize certain areas of your life too. And yet to live fully, we must surrender every part of life to God’s standard. He is either Lord of all, or not Lord at all.

During a difficult season in my life, God opened my eyes to a layer of meaning in the account of Pharaoh's dream in Genesis 41:17-21. The seven cows are an analogy for the seven spheres of life, and the thin cows eating the fat ones represent what happens to us when we choose not to submit certain areas of life to God. The seven spheres of life are: faith (the intangible, spiritual part of our lives), fitness (our health), fields (vocation, career, or business), finances, family, friendships, and fun (leisure and entertainment).

God designed life to function as an integrated system, yielded wholly to Him. That means that if one area of your life isn’t surrendered to God, it will negatively affect another area, or other areas. For example, a business decision not submitted to God might adversely influence the health of a marriage or friendship. It’s worth asking yourself: Which of these seven areas of my life is the healthiest right now? Which one is the unhealthiest?

Again, life is an integrated system. These seven areas make up a whole, and what happens in one area affects all the others. To enjoy happiness and fulfilment, we should deliberately approach God, allowing Him to reign in every facet of our existence. This will save our "fat cows" from being eaten by our "skinny cows"–it will save us from so much of the unnecessary pain that results when we isolate some areas, living outside of God’s prescribed ways.

As the Creator of every form of existence, God’s designs for your life are always the best. He wants to be Lord of every area of your life, keeping every area healthy. He doesn’t want you to experience the pain that results when you refuse to surrender to His will and His ways. May God give you eyes to see how the different spheres of your life are inter-dependent, and may you determine to submit each one to Him.