Crafting a rule of life
A calendar can be a harsh taskmaster. We schedule much of our lives, and our digital calendars quickly fill up with alerts for activities. This may feel deceptively freeing - “I’m in control of my schedule.” But when we step back for the thousand-foot view, we soon realize that our calendars are controlling us, not the other way around.
If we critically examine how we spend our days and weeks, we may find that we devote very little time to the things that truly matter to us. This misalignment with our values creates stress and anxiety in our lives, and we miss out on the peace that Jesus promises when we live a life devoted to Him and His “now-and-not-yet” Kingdom.
Establishing intentional rhythms allows us to experience true freedom, joy, and peace as we daily align our values with our priorities and passions. We create space in our days to offer ourselves to God to be continually transformed and to purposely live out His command to fully love Him and our neighbors.
One way to establish these intentional rhythms is by crafting a rule of life. The word “rule” may sound rigid, restrictive, or legalistic, but a rule of life is actually the opposite. Like a vine needs a trellis to grow upward, bear fruit, and be free from outward threats (predators and disease), we need a personal support structure to organize our lives around “abiding in the Vine,” as Jesus instructed (John 15:1-8).
If you’ve ever participated in sports, music, art, or any other intensive training, you know that carrying out a set of disciplines is required to develop your abilities, strengths, and gifts. The same is true for our spiritual formation to reshape our behaviors, attitudes, and practices to look more like Jesus each day.
A rule of life is a specific plan with consistent daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual practices and disciplines that allow you to offer yourself to God, steadily and consistently. Your rhythm of spiritual disciplines and practices should be personal, realistic (fit your season of life), and balanced, incorporating both disciplines that come easily to you and those that stretch you.
A good starting point for developing your plan is to ask yourself the question: “How do I want to live so I can be who I want to be?” Examine your current practices (intentional or unintentional), and decide what you want to keep, eliminate, or further develop.
A rule of life is a work in progress. Once you create your plan, explore and experiment with your rhythms as you live them out, and make adjustments along the way. Reevaluate your rhythms periodically to ensure that they are working for you. Remember, the goal is a deeper connection with God and others and creating space for continual spiritual transformation. If you find yourself operating out of duty or obligation, maybe it’s time to change your rhythms.
Living by a rule of life frees us to say “no” to lesser priorities and “yes” to the activities that bring us life, connection, and authentic spiritual growth. It forces us to lean into God’s design for us, the rhythms we were created to embrace. We learn to work from a place of rest instead of resting from the “crash” at the end of the week (which in the long-term leads to burnout). We slow down our pace to daily experience God’s presence and to be fully present with others.
We’ve created a Rule of Life workbook to help guide you in crafting your own rule of life. Click here to download the fillable PDF.
