The importance of standing on one leg

My balance is poor — very poor — and it’s time to do something about it.

I’ve known for some time that things have been getting worse. Walking downhill is awkward; I automatically reach for bannisters when they’re available. Yet, up to now, it’s never really worried me — as long as I can run in a straight line for my weekly ParkRun and turn left when required, I’ve been content! *

But the time has come to act. To counter the inevitable effects of the ageing process, my physiotherapist has advised me to join a Pilates class — every Tuesday afternoon in the village hall. There, my inability to stand on one leg for more than a couple of seconds is ruthlessly exposed.

The good news, however, is that this postural instability (technical term) is relatively easy to fix. Alongside my usual daily stretching, I’ve added a month-long course of simple balance exercises.

You learn to balance by balancing — as simple as that. “Balance is not something you find,” observes Aussie Jana Kingsford; “it’s something you create — moment by moment.”

And this, I think, applies just as much to our discipleship.  As John Stott once observed: “A Christian life is a balanced life — rooted in grace, growing in faith, bearing fruit in love.”

My physiotherapist tells me that good balance starts from the core — strong muscles deep within the body that hold everything else steady. Without them, even if the legs are strong, you’ll still wobble. That image stayed with me. Spiritual balance, I think, works in much the same way.

Our “core” is the centre of our being — the place where faith, trust, and identity are rooted. When that centre is strong — when Christ dwells in our hearts through faith, as Paul puts it (Ephesians 3:17) — we can face life’s uneven ground with confidence.

But when that centre weakens, everything else begins to wobble. We stumble, even fall headlong. For some, imbalance shows up as overwork or anxiety; for others, it’s apathy or spiritual dryness. The symptoms differ, but the remedy is the same: to return to Christ, to rediscover the quiet steadiness of his presence.

“Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from beginning to end.” (Hebrews 12:2).

Jesus lived a perfectly balanced life. He is not only our example — showing us how to live — but also our resource, giving us the Holy Spirit to enable us to live a life of poise.

We often talk about achieving a “work–life balance.” Yet many Christians simply burn out through overwork and a failure to rest. Again, we need to look to Jesus — to how he organised his own life.

He drew the crowds — and his ministry was exhausting. When the woman with a flow of blood touched him, Mark records: “At once Jesus realised that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, ‘Who touched my clothes?’” (Mark 5:30)

Even a single act of compassion cost him energy.

So how did he respond? Luke tells us: “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” (Luke 5:16) . notice the word often. Time alone with the Father was not optional; it was essential.

Jesus shows us the rhythm of balance — between taking in and giving out. St Augustine captured it well: “Work as if everything depended on you; pray as if everything depended on God.” We need both — in balance.

Jesus also shows us how to practise balance when everyone is clamouring for our attention. At the very start of his ministry, he went out early in the morning to pray. The disciples eventually tracked him down, saying, “Everyone is looking for you!”

His surprising reply? “Let us go somewhere else — to the nearby villages — so I can preach there also.” (Mark 1:38)

He exemplified balance in ministry. He knew he couldn’t stay in one place or meet every demand – and refused to feel guilty about it. He explains: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing.” (John 5:19)

Later, recognising the sheer scale of the work, he delegated, another important balance.  “After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go.” (Luke 10:1)

Jesus was not disheartened by the enormity of the task. He prioritised making disciple-making disciples. God doesn’t call us to be lone rangers but team players — and we find balance in ministry by belonging to Christ’s church.

So, whether it’s Pilates on a Tuesday afternoon or prayer early in the morning, we’re all learning to keep our balance — body and soul together. As we strengthen our core, both physically and spiritually, we discover again that Christ himself is our true centre of gravity.

The ground beneath may shift, the years may take their toll, but he remains steady. And as we fix our eyes on him, we find — to our surprise and joy — that we can stand, and even run, with renewed poise and grace.

* Incidentally, you may be intrigued to know that you rarely turn right when you run – all courses, wherever, are invariably run anticlockwise.  Even there and back courses, you are directed to turn left at the turn-around. 

The only exception I am aware of is Brenda’s turn in the Crosby ParkRun where runners travel far and wide for the experience of running a right turn.   To turn left there is to run into the sea.