Recently, I was forced to do one of my least favorite things. I saw a movie for the first time with a friend who'd already seen the movie. It happened to be a pretty suspenseful movie that had me on the edge of my seat. I didn't want to know exactly how the movie ended, but I did want to know that I would be happy with the ending. There's something in all of us that craves justice. We want to see the bad guy punished, the hero and heroine end up together and happy, knowing that everyone got exactly what they deserve.

Recently, I had the opportunity to go on a seesaw for the first time in about 18 years. As I was swinging up and down with a friend who happens to be about my size, I realized that teeter-tottering is much more fun as an adult with the cognitive ability to make adjustments and balance more effectively. It's a lot more fun to teeter-totter when it's balanced. In that way, life is a lot like a teeter-totter. Balancing between ministry and your personal life can be a huge challenge, but is critical to the success of your ministry as well as your emotional, spiritual, and physical health. Here are a few ideas for living a more balanced life.

When you think of a sterile, bland office environment, how do you feel? What about a cozy, comfortable, and well-decorated living room? Décor makes a difference. In these two examples the rooms are decorated differently based upon the needs of the space. Rethink the needs of the room where you meet with your girls each week. Setting the right environment can mean the difference between your girls feeling relaxed and free to share in discussion or feeling uptight and formal.

I really like my routine. I like to wake up at the same time five days a week, go to work and come home at the same time every day, do small group on Monday, prayer and worship with friends on Tuesday, church on Wednesday, spend Thursday night at home, have time with friends on Friday, take Saturday off and go to church on Sunday. I even like the routine of the seasons of the year. I like knowing what's going to happen next.