Spiritual Balance: Where the Rubber Meets the Road

If you’re like thousands of other drivers, you prepare for a  road trip by checking the tires on your car (or minivan, camper, boat trailer, or RV) to make sure they’re road-worthy.

But what about your spiritual set of tires – your relationship with God? A road-worthy relationship with God that’s in spiritual balance, like your car’s tires, is a key component in a successful life journey.

Where the Rubber Meets the Road

Tires are the interface between a vehicle and the highway … the proverbial surface where “the rubber meets the road.” They handle impact and maneuverability, allowing the vehicle to stay on the road so you can reach your destination safely.

Your relationship with God, too, is where the rubber meets the road, determining how you handle life’s turns and bumps. A healthy relationship with God allows you to travel wisely, stay safe, and finish your lifelong trip strong. A breach in your relationship with God can cause a breakdown, leave you stranded, or drive you off the road.

Tire Check

As you check your tires to make sure they are in good shape for the road, check these same elements on your spiritual tires, too.

• Tread: Fatigue
  Strong tire tread provides traction and allows the tire to grip the road. Worn tread leads to noise, slips, and swerves. A strong relationship with God averts the Enemy and personal weakness, allowing you to maintain a strong grip on Him. Just as tires need to be regularly re-tread or replaced, replenishment and restoration are a natural part of a healthy relationship with God as you cover spiritual miles.
• Uneven Wear: Imbalance
  A car whose tires are unevenly worn may shake, make noise, or under perform. Ask a mechanic what causes uneven tire wear and he’ll tick off a list of contributing factors: poor alignment, over inflation, under inflation, improper wheel balance, worn shocks or struts – even sharp turns. Your relationship with God likewise can get out of balance when you’re overextended, worn out, pulled in many directions, or misaligned. Just as your mechanic advises you to rotate and balance your car’s tires regularly, good spiritual balance will allow a healthier relationship with God. Do you have a mix of personal time with Him balanced with fellowship, corporate worship, and service?
• Slow Leak: A Breach
  An embedded nail, stone, or piece of debris can create a slow leak in a tire, leading it to lose inflation over time. What about those slow leaks in your life – an unconfessed sin, a secret resentment, a private idol? They can compromise or decay your relationship with God, leading to a breach in your journey.

Where the rubber meets the road, make sure your “tires” are road-worthy so you can stay in spiritual balance. You’ll be glad you did.

Growth Point

• Check your relationship with God regularly to make sure it’s road-worthy.

Scripture

• Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” (Isaiah 30:21, NIV)

Prayer Points

• Which is your biggest spiritual challenge: keeping your relationship with God strong, maintaining spiritual balance, or preventing a breach in your relationship with Him?
• Name a personal vulnerability when it comes to spiritual balance.
• Identify one slow leak in your relationship with God.

More about Balance

The Multi-Tasking Myth
Core Balance: Can You Stand on One Foot …. Spiritually?
Compete or Complete? A Relationship Reality Check for Balance