In our fast-paced world, balancing time and priorities is often seen as the key to success and fulfillment. We are encouraged to balance work and rest, family and career, spiritual growth and social activities. This pursuit of balance, however, can be misleading, especially from a Christian perspective. While managing time wisely is important, Scripture challenges the notion that we should seek a perfect equilibrium in all areas of life. Instead, we are called to prioritize our relationship with God above all else and live in a way that reflects His kingdom, not the balance-seeking tendencies of the world.

The fallacy of balance becomes apparent when we assume that all aspects of our lives should hold equal weight. While the world advocates for distributing our time and energy evenly—spending a little bit on everything—Jesus presents a different approach. In Matthew 6:33 (NIV), He tells us:

"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."

Here, Jesus prioritizes the kingdom of God above all other concerns. He doesn’t call us to balance our devotion between God and other pursuits, but to place Him at the very top of our list. When we seek God's kingdom first, everything else will fall into its proper place. True Christian living doesn't demand that we balance everything equally, but that we order our lives around the primacy of God.

Jesus was clear about the cost of discipleship. Following Him means reordering our priorities in a way that might seem "imbalanced" by the world’s standards. In Luke 9:23-24 (NIV), Jesus says:

"Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it."

Following Jesus demands an unbalanced commitment. It’s not about evenly distributing our time between God and other commitments, but about choosing Him above all else. This may mean sacrificing time, comfort, and even relationships to devote ourselves to His call fully. Prioritizing God can feel like an imbalance when we compare it to the world’s standards, but it is the path to true fulfillment.

Another important aspect of the Christian perspective on time is that it is not ours to balance, but rather something we are called to steward. Psalm 90:12 (NIV) offers a sobering reminder of the fleeting nature of time:

"Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom."

Time is a precious resource, and how we spend it reflects our priorities. If we focus on balancing all areas of life equally, we may end up neglecting the things that matter most in God's eyes. Instead of striving for balance, we are called to steward our time in a way that honors Him and aligns with His will. This means making intentional decisions about how we allocate our time, based on the eternal value of the things we prioritize.

Jesus Himself modeled this single-minded focus on God’s will, often choosing time with the Father over rest or other good activities. In Mark 1:35-38 (NIV), after a full day of healing and teaching, Jesus rises early in the morning to pray:

"Very 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. Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: 'Everyone is looking for you!' Jesus replied, 'Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.'"

Jesus didn’t balance His time between meeting the demands of the crowds and praying—He prioritized His relationship with the Father. His time spent in prayer was not a balance to His ministry, but a foundation for it. In the same way, our spiritual life cannot be balanced with our other responsibilities; it must be the source from which all other activities flow.

In Luke 12:16-21 (NIV), Jesus tells the parable of the rich fool, who spends his life accumulating wealth without considering his soul:

"And he told them this parable: 'The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, “What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.” Then he said, “This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, ‘You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.’” But God said to him, “You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?”'

The rich fool sought balance in his life by accumulating wealth and planning for a comfortable future, but he failed to prioritize his relationship with God. Jesus warns that when we focus on balancing worldly goals and comforts, we may miss the deeper, eternal priorities of the kingdom.

In a culture obsessed with balancing everything from work to family to personal time, the Christian life invites us to a different kind of "imbalance." We are not called to divide our time equally, but to prioritize God and His kingdom above all else. When we seek first His kingdom, we are better able to steward our time and resources in a way that brings glory to Him. As Ephesians 5:15-16 (NIV) reminds us:

"Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil."

True wisdom isn’t found in balancing our commitments but in discerning what truly matters and dedicating our time to it with single-minded devotion. By aligning our priorities with God’s will, we find fulfillment not in balance, but in the righteousness and purpose that only He can provide.