Accepting the Mysteries of Life - Both Easy and Hard

Life is characteristically either easy or hard, and many of us wander between these poles from one day to the next. Balance can be elusive. When things are easy pride becomes us, but when things turn hard it is self-pity we run to. Both of these destinations are ruts.

There are cycles of easy and cycles of hard,
Directions of pride and pity to guard,
Straddling the knife's edge and not to be cut,
Is living life so as to avoid many a rut.

When we take life in a bipolar fashion, swinging from easy to hard and back again, we quickly recognise how tantalising temptations are in just living life within the situations we are placed. But it goes better for us when we dare to approach balance.

There are tantalising temptations with which to scare,
These are opportunities with which to dare,
For the prize on offer stands there to be claimed,
As proof of the direction in which we aimed.

Our aim is balance.

OH, TO ACHIEVE BALANCE!

This is something that the balanced take for granted. The wise take their balance in their stride. But a bipolar spirituality is something many of us are entangled with. Oh to achieve balance. What we would do for it!

But to be fair, we organise ourselves a better perception of life and reality when we take life as it comes.

There are cycles of times that are easy, as much as there are cycles that are hard. Never can we assume that the next moment will be one or the other. The uncertainty of life creates mysteries around the incoming situation, and therefore how we will handle it.

Amongst a bitter degree of uncertainty we are cast forth into the world.

God mandates life this way, such that we must deal with what comes, and as peaceably as we can. But dealing with polar disparities of easy and hard is not an especially impossible task. God's grace is sufficient. And we remember that the wisdom in balance is achievable most of the time, so long as we don't expect perfection of ourselves. We will need to lower our expectations.

Never will we be perfectly balanced, just like never will we completely understand life in the midst of all its challenges, beauties, uncertainties, glories, or disappointments.

***

Accepting that life is both easy and hard - and it's all between - requires a balanced resilience in comprehending perfection of understanding is unattainable.

Understanding that life is often a confusing mystery beyond us helps us to struggle onward; to struggle well. No matter what comes - whether it's easy or hard - we have a way to balance through the grace in God.

© 2012 S. J. Wickham.

Steve Wickham is a Registered Safety Practitioner (BSc, FSIA, RSP[Australia]) and a qualified, unordained Christian minister (GradDipBib&Min). Steve writes at: http://epitemnein-epitomic.blogspot.com.au/ and http://tribework.blogspot.com.au/

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Weight Loss And Other Benefits Of Jogging

One of the most ancient and effective exercise to keep the body fit is jogging. Doctors consider jogging as a cure for many diseases. Jogging keeps one's mind fresh and active together with other parts of the body. The effectiveness of jogging can be realized by the fact that it involves the entire body during the jog.

Simple and Easy

Jogging is considered the simplest and easiest way to lose weight and maintain a high metabolism. There exist wrong perceptions among many people that cutting down on food intake will actually reduce their weight. However, this has been proven wrong as health consultants have consistently advised to eat properly. Eating is a way of staying healthy. It is true that eating more would lead to weight gain, but eating less would not necessarily cause weight loss. It has to be accompanied with some exercises, such as jogging.

Improves Stamina

Jogging simply enhances the appetite and improves one's stamina. Jogging doesn't require a person to go to a gym nor to install expensive machinery at home. It just asks for good shoes, enthusiasm, and, if possible, a partner. Jogging 6 days a week for at least half an hour can help burn enough calories to effectively lose weight. However, consistency and commitment is important to reach the desired goal.

Unlike other exercises, jogging is a fun thing to do. It also improves lung capacity and makes the heart a lot healthier than it is. This means that a person who jogs regularly has more stamina than a person who doesn't. With increased stamina, a person can work for longer and do many different kinds of exercises. It keeps the person healthy and active throughout the day. People who get fatigues easily should consider jogging as part of their everyday routine.

Fights Diseases

Other than weight loss, jogging has many other benefits. It helps one stay away from numerous diseases like diabetes, osteoporosis, heart attacks etc. As it brings all body parts to function, jogging facilitates the supply of oxygen around the human body. By increasing the heart rate of a person, jogging can be very beneficial when it comes to fighting heart diseases. By being a great combatant against all such diseases, it can be said that jogging increases the efficiency of the immune system. It acts an important element of a healthy and active lifestyle.

In the busy lifestyle of the urban man, jogging provides a perfect break from the hectic and demanding everyday routine. Jogging helps relieve stress and provides peace of mind and solace. Studies have also estimated that jogging builds up one's confidence by improving the overall attitude of the person. A useful tip while jogging is to listen to fast music.

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