Clear a level path for your feet, so all your ways will be firm. Proverbs 4:26, TLV
Four Exercises to Keep Spiritually Balanced. I’ve tried to be as transparent as possible with you all, but admitting this one is difficult. Sigh. I am getting old. Yes, yes, it’s true. And it’s not just because the CDC* has deemed me as elderly. The other reason I know this to be true is that I’m not as sure-footed as I once was. When I was younger, I could navigate through all sorts of obstacles — now I can trip over a dust bunny.
A couple years ago, my mom stayed with us as she recovered from a heart “episode.” We arranged for in-home physical therapy twice a week. The young man worked especially with her balance.
An Impaired Vision Means Imbalance
As we age, we aren’t as nimble as we were when we were young. Why? Because we’ve learned bad habits to compensate for our decrease in vision acuity. I hadn’t known how important our vision is to balance.
When we close our eyes, we older folks lose most of our ability to
regulate our balance. It’s why some older people shuffle rather than walking naturally.
But there are exercises we can do to bring back more balance so that we’re less likely to trip and fall, eyes open or not. It begins with being more active and exercising to strengthen our leg muscles. Then exercising our core, which is our center of gravity.
More Than a Level Path . . .
In today’s passage, the level path is a way free of obstacles that could cause us to trip up and fall into sin. Removing obstacles is good, but not always possible in this world. Temptations seem to spring up all over and when we least expect it. If we don’t see them in time, we can trip and fall.
This is why learning how to keep our spiritual balance is so important to our Faith and Wisdom Journey. Learning how to exercise our faith muscles, and keeping our core Biblical values strong and firm will help us navigate the unseen obstacles. Wisdom will help us navigate the seemingly daunting roadblocks.
Exercises to Strengthen our Spiritual Balance
As with anything worthwhile, this takes time and commitment. But we can be spiritually balanced and sure-footed no matter our “age.” Here are four exercises to help us do that, by being:
- spiritually “active” in the Word
- accountable and supported and supportive by the faith community
- observant of our “spiritual” surroundings
- focused on the author and finisher of our faith — Jesus
We no longer need to shuffle through life, afraid of falling. 
But we can walk, run, or dance this Journey.
Think More About It
Are you as sure-footed as you would like to be? What are the exercises you would like to integrate into your walk?
Thank you for stopping by and sharing your thoughts. If this blog was a blessing or helpful, please share it with your friends and family.
Until tomorrow, may our ways be firm and our steps true, my friends. Please continue to pray for Israel. God bless you!
*CDC: Centers for Disease Control
