Welcome to the Set Your Mind Above podcast, where every day, ordinary events teach us extraordinary eternal truths! I am your host BJ Sipe, and I’m so glad you’ve tuned in today! I am excited to share my life & my faith with you, and I sure hope you’ll do the same with me along the way.
Well folks…it’s time. Over the next three weeks we are going to be taking a break from the podcast for several reasons. First of all, the next week I will be completely booked with traveling all over the country. On Monday we’ll be in Nashville, Tennessee, on Tuesday I’ll be back in Danville, Wednesday I’ll be in Louisville, and by Thursday I’ll be in Boise, Idaho to start a Youth Lectureship that goes through the weekend. Needless to say, I’ll be all over the place and very busy for the next week. But secondly, after my time in Boise I will be rendezvousing in Oregon with my wife & kids for an extended vacation. I went back and forth for quite a while on whether or not to continue the podcast while we were on vacation, weighing the pros and cons. I had been advised by several podcasters that the most important thing with podcasting is consistency, and that if you were going to be out of town to record ahead for your listeners. While that works for someone who hosts a podcast once a week, we have 4-5 episodes a week. I just didn’t have the time to do that, so my only other option was to continue with them during our vacation. I prayed about it and have decided not to do so, because really the most important thing is not the podcast, it’s my family. It’s taking that time to reconnect with my wife and children, and honestly it could not come at a better time. To be perfectly transparent, I have been pretty burnt out as of late with a lot of things. I’m just exhausted emotionally and physically, feeling depleted in about every way you could think of. We have been hard at work, busy, and have accomplished much since the beginning of the year. But after that hard work, it’s important to have a period of recovery – which is exactly what we are going to go do. We’re going to go take a real break. No work. No calls. No podcasts. Just me, my wife, the kids, and the beauty of the state I grew up calling home. We plan on spending time with family, drinking tons of Dutch Bros coffee, and revisiting many of our favorite places we want to introduce to our kids. So to give you an exact date, the next podcast episode will air on Tuesday, August 3rd after we are back in town. I want to pause briefly to thank everyone who has listened in so far and encourage you to please come back when we resume! We have accomplished so much together – we have over 1800 downloads in just two short months from 11 different countries around the world. Together, we have set our minds above on a daily basis and many of you have in fact shared your personal stories with me – and that has been so encouraging. I want to encourage you to continue to set your minds above until we return! If you have been journaling like I have been, continue every day for the next three weeks to write down three things you’re thankful for, three things to take joy in, and three things to pray for. Until then, I’m going to go get some rest, and I can’t wait to return refreshed and restored in August.
In our fourth episode we talked about a need for rest, and that has been made very clear in my statements above. But today what I was thinking about more was the words of Solomon from the book of Ecclesiastes. The famous passage is recorded for us in chapter 3:1-8, “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.” There is no doubt as to how beautiful these poetic words are, words that have been borrowed by musicians, authors, and many others around the world for ages. The truth that Solomon speaks is relatable to every person that has ever lived, there is a time and place for everything. While we all understand this, it is the question of “when” that we often run into trouble. I believe one of the hardest lessons that we must learn in our lives is balance. While there is certainly a time to work, there is also a time to rest. If those things are out of balance, we will become burnt out or to the contrary will grow lazy. Certainly, there is a time to speak and a time to be silent. However, if those things are out of balance, we can err by not listening or not taking action. How are to find balance in our lives, to know when are the right seasons and times for these things? I don’t exactly have a step by step solution for you today as to how to achieve perfect balance in your life, and if anyone else happens to know what that is by all means please let me know. But what I would suggest we consider what Paul says in Ephesians 5:15-17, “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” Paul calls for us to be mindful of how we use our time, and that to do so takes wisdom. But that wisdom does not just appear in our lives, as he continues, it comes through knowing and understanding the will of the Lord. I truly believe that the more we understand about the nature & will of God, the better we will be at living a balanced life. As we grow in knowledge, faith, and trust, we also grow in discernment, wisdom, and judgment. Sometimes you might feel like life is out of balance, and that happens sometimes. Pause, step back, and pray to God for wisdom going forward. As you grow, you might just be surprised as to how things seem to fall into the right place and at the right time.
Thank you so much for listening to today’s episode. Beginning again on August 3rd, tune in, Tuesday-Fridays, as a new podcast episode will be uploaded each day. Also, be sure to follow the Facebook page for the Set Your Mind Above podcast for future announcements and weekly video sessions that are uploaded on Saturdays. As you have the opportunity, share these thoughts with your friends and family, and share with me what important lessons you are learning from every day, ordinary events. Until next time know that I love you, that God loves you, and may we all each and every day set our minds above!