Living a Balanced Life Week 6 Day 4

2 Timothy 1:7

For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. (NLT)

Nobody likes change. Change makes us insecure. Change stresses us out.

My baby girl just figured out how to climb out of her crib. When the boys made this discovery, they were exhilarated. No longer would they be captive to the wooden bars. They were in control. But, my baby girl freaked out.

I took the front rail off of the crib so she could easily get in and out of bed. She couldn’t handle it. She didn’t know what to do. In fact, she begged me, “Daddy, put the gate back on my crib.” So, I did. Her newfound freedom brought about a great deal of insecurity. This was too much change all at once.

How about you and me? There are changes that we need to make. This Living a Balanced Life series has pointed out some areas that we need to focus on. It’s easier just to stay the same. But there are compelling spiritual or social or health reasons for us to make some changes.

What we understand clearly is that it is going to take more than just us to change. We need to find someone who will encourage us and pray for us. We don’t really need accountability per se. Accountability is, well, accounting. It’s “keeping a record of wrongs.” Love doesn’t do that (1 Corinthians 13:5). We really don’t need someone to keep track of how many times we’ve failed. We need someone to encourage us to move forward. But, we need more than another person to make lasting changes. We need God.

According to this verse, God gives us “power, love and self-discipline.” As we commit each day to depend on God’s power, love and self-discipline, He will give us those things. When we are tested, and we will be, He is right there to help us.

Who are you looking to for help in making a change in your life? You need a connection with another person, and you need your connection with God. How is that going to look in your daily life?


Copyright © 2009 by Allen White
All Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation. Copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.