The Fine Art of Juggling

by Brandon Jubar

In today's fast-paced society, it is becoming more and more difficult to juggle the multitude of responsibilities that are thrown our way. With so many balls in the air, one tiny misstep can cause them all to come crashing down.

The Juggler

Consider yourself a juggler if you have more than two responsibilities in life. Even the world's greatest klutz can hold onto two things... one in each hand. But add a third, fourth or fifth responsibility, and you must learn the fine art of juggling priorities.

Keep in mind, however, that juggling is a learned skill. Some people may seem to come by it easier than others, but this is the exception, not the rule. Most people learn to juggle rather slowly, adding to their list of responsibilities one at a time.

The problems arise, however, when one is hit with a slew of new responsibilities seemingly overnight. To go from amateur to professional takes time and practice, both of which may be in very short supply.

The Juggling Balls

Your career is one of your "juggling balls", and may even account for several. Demands and pressure in the workplace can be extremely high, and can easily usurp time from other responsibilities. Also, because it is usually your career that pays for everything else in your life, it is easy to hold onto career responsibilities and simply let everything else fall.

Another "juggling ball" is your leisure-time activities. These are often the first balls to fall when a juggler makes a mistake. And as important as leisure-time activities can be to your sanity, dropping them first is still more appropriate than dropping the others. Unfortunately, there are many people, from all stations in society, who sacrifice career and family in order to keep these balls in the air -- though family is the number one victim.

Which brings us to the final "juggling ball": your family. Of all the things you must maintain -- of all the priorities you must keep in the air -- family is by far the most important. When handled properly, your family will be the foundation upon which you build the rest of your life. It will be a support system and a place where you can go to rest, relax and be revitalized. If there is one ball you want to avoid dropping, family is it.

Holistic Juggling

Juggling works as a metaphor for life for many reasons, but the most obvious is this: both disciplines require you to keep multiple objects moving in an organized manner, while some of those things are actually up in the air at any given moment in time.

This is why the best jugglers do not watch each individual ball; they watch the ones that are in the air. When things are in hand -- when they are under your control -- only a peripheral amount of attention need be paid to them. What is in the air, when it has reached its apex and begun to fall, and where the trajectory of its descent will take it -- these are the elements for a juggler to watch.

In order to become a world-class juggler, you must practice... and practice... and practice. Juggling multiple priorities take balance, poise, grace, style and more than a bit of humor. And when you drop the ball, the world-class juggler catches it on the bounce, never letting the juggling flow of the other balls be effected.

I would also suggest that, in order to become world-class jugglers in life, we must allow God to juggle with us. When we relax and put our trust in Him, every toss of the ball will be more true, and every catch will be more sure. With the Lord guiding our hands, even a dropped ball will turn into an amazing trick, as we recover with grace and style, making the entire thing look as if it were planned -- because, in the mind of God, it was!

Life Applications:

What do you consider to be your "juggling balls"?
What caliber juggler do you consider yourself?
In what ways do you let the Lord help you juggle?

Copyright 2002 by Brandon Jubar
All rights reserved.