Editorial November 23, 2015 Issue

Spiritual commitment and a balanced life

Barbara Vining

Having a balanced life—the right mix of family, work, church and community service, cultural enrichment, leisure, and so on—is something most people find they have to work on all of their lives. That’s because there is no formula for achieving a balanced life.

What works for one person may not work for another. What works for you at one time in your life may not work at another time. In fact, what you plan for this day or this week may be subject to considerable adjustment as the day and week progress, due largely to the fact that unexpected things have a way of coming up.

Probably the most prominent element that comes into human thinking (and choices) in regard to establishing a productive and enjoyable balance, though, is the element of time. Thinking primarily within the context of 24-hour days, while considering the right balance of activities in our lives, can be frustrating indeed; it often leads to the common conclusion that there will never be enough time for everything—and this can lead to good and necessary aspects of our lives becoming neglected or altogether left out.

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