Have you ever been trying to stream a movie and the poor signal resulted in a long pause while the content downloaded? You may have seen a short explanation on the screen “Buffering, please wait while your content loads.” If you are of a certain age, you will also remember the days of dial up internet and trying to download a song only to have “buffering” take hours. Buffering in this sense is simply the time it takes for the content to download to the device and prepare it to be seen. It is a pause on the situation and the viewer is forced to sit and wait. Due to increased use of the internet and cell signal during the current situation, we all may be experiencing more “buffering” than we were used to. During a long frustrating attempt at watching “Little Women” and much “buffering”, Heather expressed that she hoped in the future one of her girls would learn to “buffer” and just take that pause when becoming upset or anxious. This led to further study and discussion about “buffering”. I guess you could say we here at Balance have taken time to “buffer” over the last couple of weeks. We have written less and struggled to balance work and ministry with the added stresses of current events. Heather, like many, is now working from home juggling the responsibility of being a wife, caring for three little blessings, and the “boss lady” of some amazing staff. Kim entered a new empty nest phase of life. New challenges include adjusting to working from home while adult children navigate these tough times, trusting that God will keep them safe, and praying they remember everything their prepper parents taught them. (Insert eye roll from aforementioned adult children.) Like most people, recent developments have resulted in us just taking a pause and listening attentively to God. During this time of isolation, there has been an outpouring online of encouraging words, music, and humor. We have been looking for ways to continue the ministry God called us into and pivot efforts toward current need to build connection in the midst of isolation. So we have been buffering and like many just been sitting in the moment, adjusting, and letting it be what it is. There are many examples in the Bible of pause, sometimes even a very long pause, when God was working on someone or a group of people. There are some situations when life slows down and God uses the pause to develop and grow us, and we find new balance. During this time, anxieties and fears may be crippling as this life we have been used to living has suddenly been put on pause. The word buffer also means “to provide protection against harm.” One assurance in scripture is that God continues to prepare the plans he has for our lives (Jeremiah 29:11). We know both from experience and from scripture that waiting for God’s perfect plan always results in the best outcome. While we are living in each moment, awaiting God’s plan for our lives we are taught by Jesus in Matthew 6 to not worry about our life (Verse 25), that worry cannot add a single hour to our life (Verse 27), and to not worry about tomorrow (Verse 34). Maybe there is something good that will come of all of this. Maybe taking pause will prepare us all for things to come. Maybe God is wanting us to sit and listen attentively while we are forced to stay still. What is one thing you can do today to enjoy presence in the moments we are given? How can you adjust to our current circumstances and trust God? Authors: Heather Lynch and Kim Carroll.
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Balance Ministries was founded on faith that God would order steps and impart vision according to His plan.
Our Vision for 2021 is moving forward to assist those in need who are struggling with chronic illnesses such as cancer. We will be offering support groups, individual counseling in person and via telehealth for patients and their families. We will also be rolling out a gift card ministry and offering financial assistance to those needing to travel as a result of chronic illnesses. As always, please reach out to us if you have need of prayer or other needs. We may be able to help or point you in the right direction! |