Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand.

(Philippians 4:5)

After spending most of the day painting the bedroom walls a fresh, calming shade of blue, Mike was finally ready to put things back in place.  The room looked great — clean, updated, and smelling faintly of paint.

Mike stood in the middle of the room, holding a few framed photos, eyeing the freshly dried walls.  With picture hook in hand, he asked his wife, “How should I hang these — too high or too low?”

I don’t know about you, but I can relate to that.  I never seem to be able to hang a picture “just right” the first time. 

We often make the same mistake in other areas of life.  We struggle to find that sweet spot between extremes.  We either work ourselves to exhaustion or procrastinate endlessly. We speak too quickly or stay silent when truth needs to be spoken. We smother people with attention or withdraw completely.  It’s as if we’ve forgotten there’s a middle ground.

In Philippians 4:5, Paul writes, “Let your reasonableness be known to everyone.”  The word “reasonableness” here means moderation, the ability to respond appropriately to each situation.  Paul is calling us to a balanced life where we don’t swing wildly from one extreme to another but find that middle ground.

This balanced approach doesn’t come naturally to most of us. We’re more comfortable with all-or-nothing responses. But Jesus himself demonstrated perfect balance.  He was both gentle and bold, compassionate and truthful, welcoming and discerning.  He knew when to speak and when to remain silent, when to heal and when to challenge, when to withdraw and when to engage.  

Balanced living means we don’t let our emotions, habits, or impulses control us. Instead, we learn the wisdom of appropriate response — when to speak and when to listen, when to act and when to wait, when to push forward and when to rest.

Like hanging a picture — not too high, not too low — our goal is to get it “just right.” If we allow God’s Spirit to shape our reactions, our routines, and our relationships, we can find that sweet spot that is centered in God’s wisdom.

Prayer: Father, in a world that pulls me toward extremes, anchor me in moderation. Help me to respond to each situation with the reasonableness that reflects your character.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

Alan Smith
Reprinted with permission from Alan Smith’s Thought For the Day