Juggling Lesson

Recently I have been contemplating why it is that so often we try to do everything at once. We go through life juggling the balls of our lives, terrified lest we drop one and lose complete control. Too often, however, we willingly jump from throwing one ball up and down to the advanced twisting and twirling fiery balls that threaten to burn us if we slip up. What we fail to realize comes in two parts. First, we cannot do it all. No man can. Second, nothing comes easily without practice. We cannot expect to decide on a plan and immediately follow through on it without a glitch.

Delving into the first point, we must discover for ourselves the breadth and depth of our abilities. On the one hand, we should take ourselves out of our "safety zone" and allow ourselves to grow. On the other hand, while we should be there to help others, we cannot allow this aid to others to severely detriment our own persons. If we are devoting all of our time to everyone else's needs, we have no time to devote to ourselves, whereby we grow more and more stressed and eventually become weaker and weaker and less able to help ourselves, let alone anyone else. We must remember, therefore, to find that balance in our lives, wherein we give of ourselves in sacrifice for others, yet do not fail to care for ourselves as well.

Continuing on to the second point, we must develop patience and endurance. If you want to learn how to ice skate, you must practice. It doesn't take much to learn how to keep from slipping on the ice, but to truly skate and perform all of the fancy tricks, it takes constant practice and perseverance. Likewise, anything we attempt in our lives, whether small or large, in order to do it well and consistently, we must practice. We cannot jump from one thing to several, like going from one ball to multiple balls. We should develop and grow and learn to take on more, yet we cannot expect to do it all at once. We must, rather, choose one specific place to start. Once this chosen ball is well on its way to perfection, another and then another ball may be added. Thus, through patience and perseverance, we may gradually attain the advanced stage of juggling the fiery balls of our adult lives.

In a sense, while we often laugh at the idea of a New Year's Resolution, there is a point to it. If we choose something manageable and well-worth pursuit, such a resolution is beneficial and praiseworthy. Make a list of things you'd like to do, whether it is prayer, reading, service to others, or even just finding the time to be quiet. Pick one, perhaps at random, and strive towards achieving that end. Then, move on to the next one. With patience and perseverance, you will succeed.