There’s a part of us that prefers things to be very simple – black or white, yes or no. And if it has to be both, then we want to figure out how to strike that perfect balance. But life is rarely this simple and often we must learn to live in the tension of opposites.
For instance, we must hold the tension in our duty to work and our duty to our family. Our family cannot eat if we don’t work. But we might not have a family to come back home to if we spend all of our time at work.
We’re called to be men of strength while also being tender enough to care for the least of these. We’re impotent without a backbone of steel, but also when we use our strength merely as a bully – no longer wrapped in the velvety approach of gentleness and warmth.
We need time to ourselves without becoming a recluse. We need community without simply getting lost in a herd mentality. Likewise, we must discipline our children without becoming overbearing, and show them unconditional love without becoming selfish and entitled.
Time and again we must practice holding the tension of forces that push and pull in different directions. Of course, there might be seasons in which we focus on one aspect more than the other, but this is not a long-term solution. We can only thrive as we work to integrate these tasks into some meaningful harmony. And, to be fair, this might be the work of a lifetime. Either way, we shortchange our growth when we don’t learn to be comfortable with the tension.
In the end, seek balance when you can, while remembering harmonizing and living in the tension is often required to mature and grow in wisdom.
Photo by Evelyn Chong on Pexels
