It is better to do little and to do it well. It is not by the multiplicity of the things we do that we advance in virtue but by the fervor with which we do them.
-St. Francis de Sales
Restoring Balance
by Lindsay Kelleher, Religion teacher
I find it comforting to know that centuries ago, St. Francis de Sales found it necessary to remind the faithful to slow down, stop over-committing, and cultivate proper balance. While many dimensions of our anxious, busy American culture are modern manifestations of imbalance, I'm strangely relieved to know that my Christian brothers and sisters before me also needed to be reminded to carefully and prayerfully evaluate how they were spending the enormous gift of their time.
It seems to me that the virtue of humility is essential when discerning how best to balance our many obligations and responsibilities, especially when new and good invitations are extended to us. I've learned that saying, "No" or "Not yet" to a new opportunity, when done in the humble recognition that I am not the center of the universe, that I am not the only one with the talents or abilities to bring the work to a good completion, can open the opportunity to someone else. It is not for me to orchestrate or even have full knowledge of the lovely, circuitous, surprising plans God has in mind for those who serve him. If I concentrate on doing little and doing it well, who might be invited to step in and respond generously to the invitation I have declined? Who might need exactly that chance to grow in holiness? It might not be for me to know. But I humbly offer it up to God's providence.
I have been seeking balance lately in more intentional recreation. When I sense my worries, tasks or obligations spinning out of balance, and usually right at the moment when I think I have absolutely zero time for leisure, I try to do something "useless" that is not on my to-do list. Watercolors have been my activity of choice since I impulsively bought a sketchbook and set of brushes and paints this summer. I say with deep humility that I have no talent when it comes to painting, but as I spend twenty minutes pushing puddles of watery pigment around a page, I slow down and reject the noise of this world that tells me that I am valuable because of what I accomplish. That set of watercolors helps restore balance to my day by allowing me to engage in true recreation: being re-created in a some small, mysterious way by the God who loved me into being in the first place.
Oh my God, I give you this day.
I offer you now all of the good which I shall do.
I promise to accept for love of you all of the difficulty which I shall meet.
Help me to conduct myself during this day in a manner most pleasing to you.
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