King Solomon gave us the key to Holiness when he declared, “Don’t be overly righteous, neither make yourself overly wise. Why should you destroy yourself? Don’t be too wicked, neither be foolish. Why should you die before your time?”
The wisest man who ever lived gave us the best advice on how to please God.
Rule One: Stay away from extremes.
Do not be the one who is heavenly minded while being no earthly good. Likewise, do not be earthly minded so as to be no heavenly good. Balance is the key to being healthy, happy, and holy as we journey through this world.
It is true that there are things in this world that are absolutely forbidden by God. These are obvious sins that will most likely land someone in jail–Murder, rape, theft, dishonesty, and otherwise being hateful towards others. There is also disobedience to the Gospel that requires us to give up all other Gods and false religions to follow Jesus.
Then there are things in this world that are debateable and a matter of personal conscience. For example, is it okay to dance at a party, go to see a movie at a theater, read fiction novels, or listen to classic rock on the radio? These are things that each person must answer for themselves as they mature in their relationship with God.
In my own personal walk with God, I had to struggle with listening to music on the radio. It was impossible to go anywhere without hearing rock music pumped through outside speakers. I had been counseled that rock music was inspired by the devil to trap the average person into going to hell. At the same time, how was I going to avoid hearing it without locking myself away in a monestary where they sing nothing but ancient Christian chant?
I also had to struggle with reading fiction. I had been taught that fiction was not of God and that no self-respecting follower of Christ would read a murder mystery, a horror novel, or a trashy romance novel. The problem: I was expected to read fiction for school.
Eventually, I had to break free from the self-imposed bubble I had placed around myself. I decided that I could listen to music and read fiction novels without letting them affect me in a negative way. I would accept that we live in a world of clashing values and I could read something without being morally compromised by the narrative.
Too much of a good thing can be bad. Water is essential to one’s health and wellbeing. Overhydrating can kill you. Eating is necessary to getting the proper nutrition. Over eating can kill you. A little stress can help a person learn to cope with conflict, but too much stress can lead to mental, physical, and emotional disorders.
When I was young, I had to come to terms with opposites in life: being logical but being loving, being firm but fair, being tender while being tough. The key is a healthy balance between the two extremes. Even God must balance being merciful with being just.
In this world where people tend to equate holiness with fanatical extremes, it is better to follow the counsel of Solomon and do our best to avoid going to extremes in our daily life. We can pray without shutting ourselves away in a monestary, we can read the Bible without excluding other reading material, we can give to others without impoverishing ourselves, we can fast without starving our bodies, we can be happy for our blessings while grieving for the loss of others.
Balance is the Key to Holiness.
Stephen Beagles (2026)