Life in Balance

Life in Balance

Introduction

As an adult student in the middle of my life, I am back in school trying to acquire a degree in Psychology. I am diligently seeking God with his help in staying focused in this new learning journey I have set out on. Truly without God's help I won't make it. I have goals to strive for. My goal is obtaining a college degree. I am striving to achieve this by first and foremost putting God first. Also by gaining knowledge through this current class, I have learned in order to be a successful student I must set out adequate time to study, I have to give grave importance in having class work completed on time so that I won't fall behind, I must prioritize what is important and necessary, I have to get rest/sleep so my I can be physically, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally prepared. While I am a student at TIU, I desire to keep God in front of me so that I can keep me eyes on the prize.

Background

Each person learns in a different way. To understand how one learns is essential. Individuals broaden their learning horizons when they understand the style which is unique to them. Kolb has identified four kinds of learning styles. The four phases are Concrete Experience, Reflective Observation, Abstract Conceptualization, and Active Experimentation. Every individual fits somewhere in one of the four phases, but where the person fits is uniquely his own style. Each style is needed to completely grasp situations that life throws out. LSI stated that, "If you rely too heavily on one learning style, you run the risk of missing out on important ideas and experiences" (P. 11). The basic styles of the LSI are accommodating, converging, diverging and assimilating. After I took this test I discovered that the way I learn is Diverging. I learn from experiences, I am sensitive to feelings and the feelings of other people.

According to Kolb (2007),

People with this learning style are best at viewing concrete situation from many different points of view. Their approach to situations is to observe rather than take action. If this is your style, you may enjoy situations that call for generating a wide range of ideas, such as brainstorming sessions. You probably have broad cultural interests and like to gather information. In formal learning situations you may prefer working in groups to gather information, listening with an open mind and receiving personalized feedback (p. 9).

Divergers sit back, watch, and learn. They are sensitive and in touch with the feelings of other. They love working with others and welcome feedback. They like to learn via logical instruction or hands-one exploration with conversations that lead to discovery. Convergers think it out and then act it out. They prefer to work solo. They learn best from technology.

Accommodators are our leaders. They are people peoples. They don't want to sit around discussing the problem, they want to go out and get it done. Assimilators are the organizers and analyzers. They are focused on the idea or task at hand and not necessarily whoever else is concerned in the problem.

"The Christian Mind is a mind that operates under the belief that there is something outside of ourselves that we must take into account" (White 2006, p. 21). Christ was on a God mission, He was God minded. We now have to strive to be like Jesus and become Christ mined once we do so we will begin to have a Mind for God. Knowledge is power. Christians are losing the battle over knowledge, they just aren't learning. The Christian mind is being clouded and has slowly converting over to the cultural mind. We are losing the war to moral relativism, autonomous individualism, narcissistic hedonism and reductive naturalism. White (1990) A Mind for God stated, "We need to recapture a sense that the development of our minds is a spiritual discipline. Makes one aware of how easy it is to conform to the helplessness of the American mind. We aren't using our natural brains anymore; instead we are worldwide webbing everything. Not only does this book give us principles and steps on thinking Christianly, it also points one in the direction of where to increase this knowledge. Literacy is essential to the success of every person. It's more than being able to read, but is the understanding that "There are certain facts that should be known, books that should be read, lives that should be studied, events that should be remembered, and ideas that should be understood" (White 2006, p. 56). We are to hold tight to Sacred Thinking and guard our thoughts and reflections. Learning needs to be incorporated into our lives by developing rules for learning. Take learning everywhere we go. "Our purpose for developing our minds is our love for God" (White 2006, p. 90).

Once we take the basic steps to start "managing ourselves within the time frame granted to us" (Hummel, 1997), we can begin to accomplish more in fewer hours. Jesus himself was here on this planet for a short time, but yet he accomplished so much. Time, people can wear it on their hands, have it in their cars or display it on their phones, but no one can control it or even make it stand still. This is where guidance from the Lord is key in life and the management of the time allotted to each instant in life. Hummel (1997) stated, "Our goal is to discover God's will for us day by day at each stage of life" (P. 27). Readers are offered advice on several ways to get the most out of their time. One of the most important time savers is to set priorities. Decide at the beginning of your day what is truly important and what is just a useless bag of winds so that each step that you take would be ordered in His word. Matthew 6:33 NCV declares "Seek first God's kingdom and what God wants. Then all your other needs will be met as well. So don't worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will have its own worries. Each day has enough trouble of its own".

According to Smith (1999)

WHEN YOU MANAGE your time, and the minutes of your life fall into alignment with the purpose of your life, you can enjoy a fantastic chain reaction. This alignment can enable you to accomplish your tasks more effectively and reach your goals more quickly. It can also give you a greater sense of peace.

Remember the old saying: "How do you eat an elephant? ... One bite at a time." The same is true with major goals. The best way to accomplish a major goal is to break it down into smaller pieces. Focusing on the smaller parts makes any task much easier and keeps motivation high. When you reach goals, reward yourself (1-2p).

Storm