balance

The wise attain eternity when, 
freed from pride and delusion
they have conquered their love for the things of sense,
when, renouncing desire and fixing their gaze on the Self, 
they have ceased to be tossed to and fro by the opposing sensations, 
...like pleasure, and pain.
Bhagavad Gita 15:5

Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.
If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You’ll get his help, and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who “worry their prayers” are like wind-whipped waves. Don’t think you’re going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open.
When down-and-outers get a break, cheer! And when the arrogant rich are brought down to size, cheer! 
Prosperity is as short-lived as a wildflower, so don’t ever count on it. You know that as soon as the sun rises, pouring down its scorching heat, the flower withers. Its petals wilt and, before you know it, that beautiful face is a barren stem. Well, that’s a picture of the “prosperous life.” At the very moment everyone is looking on in admiration, it fades away to nothing.

James 1:2-10

Maintaining a balanced approach to our life's ups and downs, not getting too overwrought in times of trouble, and staying calm when prosperity comes...this is the lesson. 
Keeping our eyes fixed on "the Self"--the Eternal, the Source.

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