Life In The Middle Lane

Balance beats burnout.

A stagecoach driver, who often travelled some of the most dangerous passes in the Rocky Mountains once reported that to keep from falling off the cliffs he did not test how close he could drive the horses to the edge or the mountain face— rather he developed the skill to drive precisely in the MIDDLE of the road.

A balance beam athlete will tell you that they will practice their routines on a beam SMALLER than the regulation width— which produces in them a fine tuning of their balance— making the routine on the regulation beam even more precise and successful!

We want to hop on the “highway” of Ecclesiastes here for a week, and cover a huge portion of the landscape of chapters 5, 6, 7. We won’t be able to dig into this section as finely as closely as we might normally— but I sensed a “thread” of meaning here in this larger section— it might feel a bit like drinking from a fire hose— or driving by the landscape at 65 mph— but buckle-up and lets learn what God has continued to reveal through Solomon’s observations—

BIG IDEA: Living in awe of God produces balance. God calls us to live in rhythm, not in extremes.

Last week we established that in our pursuit of God, living in Awe and fear of Him is a priority. In all of life, we are to ask:

“What would the Father approve?” in this area or that area of life?

The consistent idea in this section of scripture is balance— a life lived precisely in the middle of the extremes of life.

Wealth and work: Don’t chase the wind

“Whoever loves money never has enough...” — Ecclesiastes 5:10 “...to accept their lot and be happy in their toil—this is a gift of God.” — Ecclesiastes 5:18-19

Money Talks, But It Doesn’t Hug You Goodnight

Ecclesiastes 5:10-12 – Riches don’t satisfy; they just increase stress and sleepless nights.

Takeaway: It’s okay to earn a living, but don’t let money rent space in your soul.

Enjoy the Work, Don’t Worship It

Ecclesiastes 6:1-2 – You can have everything but still feel empty if God’s not in it.

Takeaway: Work is a gift, not a god. Use it as a tool, not an identity.

🧭 Application:

Ask yourself: "Am I working with God or just working for stuff?"

Budget time like you budget money: Give your soul a Sabbath, not just your schedule.

Wisdom and Emotions: Keep your heart on a leash

“Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools.” — Ecclesiastes 7:9 “Wisdom preserves those who have it.” — Ecclesiastes 7:12

Anger is a Terrible Roommate

Ecclesiastes 7:8-9 – Slow is wise; quick tempers crash relationships.

Takeaway: You can’t control what happens, but you can control your reaction speed.

Wisdom is Cool, Not Just for Old People

Ecclesiastes 7:11-12 – Wisdom is a shelter and a strength; it helps you dodge dumb choices.

Takeaway: Wisdom doesn’t make life easy—it makes life worth it.

🧭 Application:

Practice “Holy Pauses” – before reacting, pray: “God, lead me by wisdom, not emotion.”

Start a journal with one thing you learned, not just what you felt, each day.

Integrity and Enjoyment: Be real, stay grateful

“This only have I found: God created mankind upright, but they have gone in search of many schemes.” — Ecclesiastes 7:29 “It is good to grasp the one and not let go of the other.” — Ecclesiastes 7:18

Don’t Party Like It’s Your Purpose

Ecclesiastes 7:2-6 – Better to face truth in sorrow than live fake in laughter.

Takeaway: Pleasure isn’t bad, but when it’s your fuel, you’ll burn out fast.

Live Straight in a Crooked World

Ecclesiastes 7:13-14, 29 – Life isn’t always fair, but you can always be faithful.

Takeaway: Integrity is about staying upright when life zigzags.

🧭 Application:

Do a “heart check” this week—where are you pretending? Where are you drifting?

Celebrate joy without losing your center. Throw a praise party, not a pity party.

🛠 CLOSING CHALLENGE:

"Don’t live at the extremes—Jesus walked a balanced life: truth and grace, work and rest, solitude and service. If the Son of God needed balance, so do we!"

Encourage them to:

Pick one area (money, emotions, integrity, etc.) where they’re living in the extreme.

Pray daily this week: “Lord, teach me Your rhythm.”

🎁 BONUS ILLUSTRATION IDEA:

Bring in a tightrope or balance beam analogy. Life isn’t about standing still—it’s about moving forward while keeping your balance. The danger isn’t in falling—it’s in thinking you don’t need balance at all.

It is impossible to practice godliness without a constant, consistent and balanced intake of the Word of God in our lives.

Jerry Bridges

💬 Discussion Questions: Living Life in the Middle Lane

1. "When is enough... enough?"

Ecclesiastes 5:10-12 We often hear, “Get that bag!” or “Grind harder!”—but what happens when chasing success starts chasing you back? ➡︎ Question: How do you know when your pursuit of money, success, or approval is tipping into imbalance? How can you realign your heart with God’s idea of contentment?

2. "Are you working from worth or for it?"

Ecclesiastes 5:18-19 Sometimes we treat our jobs (or school, ministry, even relationships) like they’re where we get our identity. ➡︎ Question: What does it look like to work with joy instead of pressure? How can we keep our work from defining our worth?

3. "What pushes your buttons?"

Ecclesiastes 7:8-9 We all have “anger triggers”—but the wise learn to pause instead of pounce. ➡︎ Question: What’s one situation where anger or frustration tends to take over? What would it look like to respond with wisdom instead of reacting with emotion?

4. "Is your life real or just Insta-real?"

Ecclesiastes 7:2-6, 7:29 We live in a culture that often values vibes over values. But God calls us to live authentically, even when it’s hard. ➡︎ Question: In what ways do we sometimes fake it to fit in? How can integrity and authenticity bring freedom instead of fear?

5. "Where do you need to find balance?"

Ecclesiastes 7:18 Life is a balancing act—and no one does it perfectly. ➡︎ Question: What’s one area of your life (money, work, pleasure, emotions, relationships) where God might be calling you to live more in the “middle lane”? What would a healthy next step look like?

✨ Bonus Idea:

Wrap up the group with a “Balance Prayer.” Each person names one area they want to grow in balance, and the group prays a sentence prayer over each other. Real, simple, powerful.