Faith Focus
A Balancing Act

By Dr. Henry Blount

Life is a balancing act, pure and simple. It’s much like the tightrope walkers at the circus I used to see as a child. If the walkers got off center, down they’d go. It seems to me that life today is like walking on a tightrope in many ways. We are caught between what society says we should do, and what we think we ought to do, or would like to do. Modern life is complex. Our options are so many that it’s difficult to choose, much less cope, and keep our balance. This is especially true in matters of faith and relationship with God. It’s so easy to lose our footing and fall on our face.

I am writing this article from Grand Coteau, where I often go on a Directed Retreat to “center down”. I find it very helpful to be still long enough to allow my soul to catch up with the rest of me. And I find comfort in the fact that Jesus had to get away from the crowd to pray and meditate as well. He lived from his “center”. Most great leaders do. One of the most recent leaders who come to mind is Nelson Mandela, imprisoned over 20 years, yet emerged as President of South Africa. He kept his center very strong. No one could take that from him.

Being centered is the ability to meet the stresses of life without falling apart. It is inner calmness during the storm. Our world is noisy, demanding, pressurized and impatient. Information overload is obvious. The tragedies around the world are brought into our living rooms instantly. Sometimes I feel numb as I watch disasters. The amount of world information while reading the New York Times is more than the amount taken in by the average person in the 17th century in his or her lifetime.

All of this points to the fact that hypertension, anxiety and depression are as common as the air we breathe. It also points to the need for a “centering prayer life”, where we can nurture the soul. And to be centered, you need to have a strong sense of “self”. “Know thyself,” said a great philosopher. Notice a cat’s behavior. It seems that a cat has pretty good sense of who it is. Cats don’t try to impress people, or follow you around trying to make you happy. They know what they like or dislike. By nature, a cat is centered.

Thomas Kelly, an outstanding Quaker, described our center as the inner sanctuary of the soul. It’s a quiet place where you feel in balance with your surroundings and with God. I admire the nature of their worship services; no one speaks until they feel the spirit. I have probably quoted Psalm 46:10 more than any Bible verse: “Be still and know that God is God.” Also, there is the verse from the 23rd Psalm: “He leadeth me beside still waters.” There’s an energy in water that always calms me. The Psalmist said it restores his soul. The people in the great movie Avatar may have looked weird, but they demonstrate an important connection between plants, animals, humans, etc. Everything is connected.

One more thought: Being centered would surely include the ability to listen to the small, still voice. Isn’t it true that most of us talk so much that we don’t have time to listen? It is in listening that we are moved to a place of wonder, which is where God is. I thought this the other day when I saw a sign that read, “Don’t talk unless you can improve on silence.” Amen.