I love a good, sweaty, heart-pumping, stress-relieving workout…but I also love cozying up on the couch for a sweet couple of mindless hours zoning out in front of a new CIA thriller. I am all about a big, fresh salad packed with colorful veggies, but I can also do quite well with a giant chocolate chip cookie fresh from the oven and eaten hot off the pan. I am very fond of early mornings-the peaceful stillness and getting a much needed jumpstart on the day, but oh I do love me a warm cozy bed in the cold, dark hours of early mornings. I know the benefits of precious minutes spent reading the bible and conversing with God (whether 5 or 45), but I can easily flop on the couch and waste a spare 15 mins leafing through the newest Pottery Barn Catalog.

Life is all about balance and choice. While choices often seem small and insignificant, the reality is that the choices we make over days, weeks, months, and years define our life—who we are, where we are going, and what kind of life we lead. I don’t think any of the above examples of choices are bad in and of themselves, but if the lazy days, late mornings, and indulgent foods make up most of your meals, mornings, and free time, your life will lack balance. Similarly, if you stringently label and avoid all carbs, can’t tolerate missing a workout when guests are in town, and fight your bodies need to rest, you are likely failing to strike a healthy balance as well.

We all have choices to make every minute of every day. Is it going to be the snickers bar or the apple and nuts, the extra hour of sweet rest, or jumping out of bed (okay, I never really “jump” out of bed per se) to fit a workout into your already busy day?

I can’t say I’ve mastered living a healthy balance, but I can say that I am committed to working on it—to daily making progress on the constant, daily journey that is a healthy balance.  Weak moments and poor choices are inevitable, but how we handle them is vitally important. You and I must never give in to one side or the other, but always work to live in this beautiful, liberating balance. It is life defining.