{"id":7328,"date":"2017-07-28T10:22:53","date_gmt":"2017-07-28T15:22:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/customwordpresssites.com\/mjb\/?p=7328"},"modified":"2026-02-26T13:40:58","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T19:40:58","slug":"finding-the-balance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/customwordpresssites.com\/mjb\/2017\/07\/28\/finding-the-balance\/","title":{"rendered":"Finding the balance"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Photo credit: www.freeimages.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Carrying my laundry basket across the lawn, I feel a sudden sting.<\/p>\n

I was feeling peaceful and content as I did my chores. I was enjoying this quiet Saturday \u2014 I thought. But then, as surely as if an insect just bit me, a wave of emotion interrupts my peace and I am caught off guard, startled to attention.<\/p>\n

Miles away, a friend in a nursing home is being treated for chronic pain. In a few days, a dear sister and housemate is scheduled for surgery, a double-mastectomy to treat the cancer discovered only last month. On that same day, a relative will endure yet another round of medical tests to determine why she has been rapidly losing weight. In my prayer journal I have listed over a dozen situations of suffering loved ones.<\/p>\n

In the sting of sadness, my consciousness has cracked. I feel overwhelmed, helpless, and worried. Faced once again with the challenge and invitation to give it all to God, I find myself groaning internally. I am almost tempted to believe that…<\/p>\n

[This is the beginning of my latest column for the online newspaper,\u00a0<\/em>Global Sisters Report<\/a>. Continue reading\u00a0here<\/a>.]<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"  Carrying my laundry basket across the lawn, I feel a sudden sting. I was feeling peaceful and content as I did my chores. I was enjoying this quiet Saturday \u2014 I thought. But then, as surely as if an insect just bit me, a wave of emotion interrupts my peace and I am caught...","protected":false},"author":4071079,"featured_media":7393,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[115341],"tags":[28175,30789,698755374,11845,137747,221895935,3785,7383,34941365,82348,6,170274,647597],"series":[698756626],"class_list":["post-7328","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-equity-and-justice-equity-and-justice","tag-awareness","tag-balance","tag-community","tag-compassion","tag-global-consciousness","tag-global-sisters-report","tag-love","tag-pain","tag-relationship-2","tag-suffering","tag-technology","tag-troubles","tag-trust-in-god","series-messy-jesus-business"],"acf":[],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/customwordpresssites.com\/mjb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/clothes-pins-1418236.jpg","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/customwordpresssites.com\/mjb\/wp-content\/plugins\/seriously-simple-podcasting\/assets\/images\/no-album-art.png","download_link":"","player_link":"","audio_player":false,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"dark","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"stitcher":{"key":"stitcher","url":"","label":"Stitcher","class":"stitcher","icon":"stitcher.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/customwordpresssites.com\/mjb\/feed\/podcast\/messy-jesus-business","embedCode":"

Finding the balance<\/a><\/blockquote>