Hanging in the Balance

It has just come to my attention lately how much our world is dependent upon balance. On Sunday, Pastor Bob spoke about the need for a balance between individualism and fellowship. Erring too far on one side or the other can drastically alter the equilibrium that we need. To be too focused on the individual causes self-centeredness and a lack of community, among other things. While focusing too much on fellowship removes the personal aspect of a relationship with the Father.

The Bible shows us examples of both of these activities. In Acts, time was devoted to fellowship--for believers to be in each others' company.
Acts 2:41-43
41Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. 42They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles.

Matthew 18:20
20For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.

This one is easy, right? Who doesn't like getting together to enjoy the company of their brothers and sisters in Christ? Sure, it seems simple, but sometimes we have to rethink our priorities. Our busy schedules get in the way and we don't set aside time to just be with each other. I've found my time with my Christian siblings to be priceless. They excite me and encourage me--not necessarily through words, but by just being there, walking together through life.

We also see examples of being alone with God. Jesus, himself, did this.

Mark 1:35
35Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.

Mark 14:36
36Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, "Sit here while I go over there and pray."

I think it is also important (as always) to look at the context here. In the verses just before each of these, Jesus was surrounded by people. In chapter 1, (the night before 1:35) the whole town of Capernaum was at his doorstep, bringing their sick to be healed. In Mark 14:36, the Last Supper had just occurred and Jesus had spent the evening preparing his disciples for his death. Remember how confused they were? Have you ever tried to teach someone and they just weren't getting it? Scripture doesn't show Jesus getting frustrated with them, but at the very least I am sure he must have been exhausted. The common theme here is making sure you're in communion with God--that you're plugged into the vine. It can be really easy to pour ourselves out whether it's with church activities, Cgroups, service projects, or day-to-day conversations with others. But while you're pouring yourself out... are you going to God for a refill? I've found this to be a big problem in my life. My quiet times have never been as steady as they should be (and as I would like them to be.) Work in progress...

So let's shift gears a bit. I've been noticing a lot of "balance" in my studies lately too. Science is full of it, and I've never taken the time until recently to really appreciate that. I'm taking a class called "Preventing Cancer" (disclaimer: the class is total crap; I don't recommend it) and we've been doing individual research on different topics all semester. One of the topics I am looking at this week is estrogen and breast cancer. Balance is incredibly important when talking about hormones. For example, estrogen is involved in the development and regulation of... feminine characteristics (I won't go into all the details here.) Too little estrogen and you end up with developmental problems. Too much estrogen and it ends up "feeding" cancerous cells. It's all about being Goldilocks here--gotta get it "just right." I could come up with other examples as well, but we'll leave it at that. This whole idea of equilibrium and balance is just like seeing God staring at me through the scientific data. I'm sure there's some "sciencey, evolutionary" explanation out there that someone has come up with. But I think if you look closely it just screams creation. Amazing... Do you see why I love science?