Life for a medieval peasant was no picnic. His life was shadowed by fear of famine, disease, and bursts of warfare. But you might envy him for one thing: his vacation time. The Church often enforced mandatory holidays for weddings, wakes, and births. And then when wandering jugglers or sporting events came to town, peasants got more time off for quaffing beer and celebrating.

In fact, economist Juliet Shor found that during periods of particularly high wages, such as 14th century England, peasants might get half the year off. Shor writes, "The tempo of life was slow, even leisurely; the pace of work relaxed. Our ancestors may not have been rich, but they had an abundance of leisure."

In contrast, life in 21st century America doesn't look near as relaxed or leisurely. The United States is the only advanced country with no national vacation policy whatsoever. Many American workers must keep on working through public holidays, and vacation days often go unused. On average, U.S. workers end up with roughly 16 paid holiday and vacation days in a year, but that number wouldn't meet the legal minimum in most other developed countries around the world.

I'm thankful for the life that I have.  I certainly wouldn't want it to be like the lives of those who lived in the 14th century.  However, when I walk around the streets of the city where I minister, I see a great number of people who don't appear to be enjoying THEIR lives either.  

No matter which century people have lived in, it has always been the goal of the "evil one" to create imbalance, chaos, and disruption.  For many, 2020 has been a very imbalanced year; one of challenge, upheaval, and struggle. Finding balance can be difficult.

"The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." John 10:10

Are you living a balanced life, or do things fell like they're a little "off-center" in your world?  Our God has a better plan for each of us.  When we make the kingdom of God first in our lives, the balance that we crave can be a reality. It can happen, even in the midst of struggle.