Finding Work Life BalanceSample

Prioritizing with Jesus

The term “work-life balance” falls short because it suggests that life can be neatly divided into equal parts to which we can assign equal importance. What we actually find is that life is messy and poses problems of priority at important moments. In her book Living a Purpose-full Life, Jan Johnson writes, “If each day is about knowing and loving God, that day’s activities will flow out of a divine common sense.” Holding life in proper priority requires us to constantly reorient our lives around Christ.

In Christ, what we see modeled is not balance but a great deal of consistency, a great deal of peace, and a great deal of certainty and purpose in the midst of some dramatic circumstances. Christ’s faithfulness was not measured by his life’s efficiency or some vague perception of balance. Jesus’ faithfulness was reflected in his willingness to do whatever God asked of him.

We can find opportunities to glorify God in every part of life—the entire day’s activities, not just the so-called “religious” tasks. Throughout the day as we face decisions about how to spend our time, we can ask ourselves how we can use our time to draw closer to God or demonstrate a characteristic of Christ to those around us. Some days that might mean working a little longer in order to complete a project on time, because Christ is faithful to keep his word. Other days we might take time off to care for a sick friend or spend a special day with our kids, as Christ valued and honored relationships in his life. At other times, it might mean getting rest and exercise, because our bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit through which we experience God and serve others.

Video

Watch this short video about prioritizing.

Prayer

Jesus, I confess that apart from you, I have no good thing. I pray that you would be glorified as I seek to love you with all my heart and mind, and to honor you with my time and actions. I pray that you would instruct me and fill me with joy in your presence. Amen.

We hope this plan encouraged you. You can find more plans from the Theology of Work Project at www.theologyofwork.org/devotions