The idiom goes, “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.” This is probably one of those sayings that people use in an off-handed manner, but it actually has much more meaning than one would expect. Better yet, the Bible has something to say about it. The Apostle Paul says it this way: “’I have the right to do anything,’ you say—but not everything is beneficial. ‘I have the right to do anything’—but I will not be mastered by anything” (1 Cor. 6:12).
Yesterday, this was the central idea of the lesson at Youth Group. We were talking specifically about dating, and how it is rather easy to put all our eggs in the dating basket. Meanwhile, all the other baskets of life are overlooked; and before long, our lives are out of balance. Just because anything is possible, not everything is helpful, and we need to make sure none of it masters us.
I taught this lesson before at Youth Group, about five years ago. This time, though, it caused me to do a lot of personal reflection, and I realized I have struggled with this in different ways throughout my life. Not only did I put all my eggs in dating baskets at times, but other baskets have been quite full and lopsided too. For instance, the last few months, my school basket has outweighed my friends, family, and hobbies baskets. The good thing is that there is an end in sight for this. Nonetheless, I am sure I will struggle, later, with something else occupying the majority of my time. I would like to say it is easier as a minister, but it is not. Sometimes, even church and ministry can be the full basket, and other areas are overlooked.
The idea is to always keep yourself in check, and sometimes it will probably take having another person look out for you and hold you accountable. As a youth pastor, this is important for many reasons. Not only are we supposed to be growing in our relationship with God, we are also called to set an example for the teenagers in our ministry. Yes, we are human, and we mess up, but that is why James says, “we who teach will be judged more strictly” (James 3:1). This is why accountability is extremely important. If you do not have at least one person in your life who holds you to what you are supposed to be doing, it needs to happen. That is why God created the church as a community, because we are to help and encourage one another to keep our lives in check and in balance, all the while focusing on God.
If any basket is to be overflowing, it needs to be the basket of our relationship with God. Because if that is going well, the other baskets tend to fall in line where they should.
So, as I asked our small group last night, where are your eggs right now? Are they all in one basket or spread out evenly throughout your life?
Steve Cullum 