Nancy Hughes: Finding balance in the highs and lows

“I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees;

I will not neglect your word.”

Psalm 119:15-16 (NIV)

I have a condition known as hypoglycemia. It happens when my blood sugar (glucose) is used up too quickly or when it goes into my bloodstream too slowly. 

The symptoms I get can vary. I might suddenly become shaky, very tired and hungry or I may get confused or irritable. Yes, I know some of you are thinking “So how is that different from any other day?” Very funny.

While I have never gotten to this point, I do know that if it becomes too severe, seizures or even a coma might occur. So I have to take care of myself.

But here’s the truth: sometimes I don’t. Yes, I am very aware that I need to eat small meals throughout the day and not skip a meal or go too long between them. I also know that if I eat a diet every day that is balanced with protein, vegetables, fruits and fiber while limiting sugars, I will have very few episodes of hypoglycemia.

And yet, too often I try a “quick fix” to correct the problem, like a candy bar. And it will “fix” the low blood sugar – for a while. But all the candy bar will end up doing is shooting the blood sugar up as it dumps a temporary boost into my bloodstream and then disappearing as I drop to another low. And I am left with the choice of either grabbing another candy bar for another temporary fix or eating a meal that is balanced.

Sometimes my prayer life is like that. I am in God’s Word for days, seeking His face, asking for His guidance, praising Him for His grace and forgiveness. I am “balanced” and ready for anything that might come my way.

But then one day I “skip a meal” of His Word and think I can make up for it later with a candy bar: a verse or two from Scripture and a short prayer. Will it give me a temporary boost? Sure. But now I have a decision to make. I can either wait until another low comes, whether it is a situation at work or a concern at home, and grab another verse or two and hope it moves me up into the high range. Or I can make time to feast daily on balanced meals of reading God’s Word and seeking His direction for my life.

Just as a balanced diet every day without skipping a meal can prevent the majority of my blood sugar problems, so a balanced “diet” of being in God’s Word daily can keep me balanced between the highs and lows of life.

Lord, I do not want a temporary fix of a few minutes with you every day or two. I want to soak in your Word as I look for your direction for my life. Help me to daily seek you with all my heart. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

Do you find yourself in a “hit and miss” relationship with the Lord when it comes to your prayer time?

What prevents you from daily conversations with God?

Apply

Make a list of all the activities that you participate in for one full day.

Draw a line through those things on your list that could be eliminated or rescheduled so you can have face-to-face time with the Lord.

Power

Psalm 119:15-16 (NIV) “I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.”


Matthew 24:35 (NIV) “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”


Psalm 119:105 (NIV) “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.”

(For more of Nancy Hughes' writing, check out her blog, Encouragement from the War Room.)