A rule of Life for 2021
Lauren Kelman, Unsplash
Where is the Life we have lost in Living?"
-T.S. Elliot
Last week, we invited you to reflect on the previous year, noting how you saw God move in your life, and how you saw his faithfulness in the midst of everything that happened in 2020. As we begin this new year (which has certainly been off to a disorienting start in its first week), we want to invite you to craft a Rule of Life.
DISRUPTION, DISORIENTATION, AND REORIENTATION
Last year was a lot of things. Words like "challenging" and "unprecedented" showed up everywhere and we quickly grew tired of hearing them. There are other two words that described 2020: disruptive and disorienting. Not to belabor these cliches, but I think disruptive and disorienting pretty much describe our collective experience of the last 12 months. For some people 2020 was full or sorrows and hardships; for others, the year didn't hit them as hard. But life changed for all of us. We were, at the very least, knocked off axis by a degree or two.
In the midst of disruption and uncertainty, when we are knocked into disorientation and are trying to find our footing or something to guide us through the dark, there is an invitation: we are invited to reorient our hearts and minds on Christ. Can we encounter the love and the active, ongoing work of Jesus, not just as we look backwards or forwards, but also in here and now? Of course! And a Rule of Life can help us do just that.
Now don't let the phrase "rule of life" scare you. It is simply discerning how you want to seek Christ in this season. What practices fit right now? What is the Lord inviting you to? Some people prefer to use Eugene Peterson's language of Matthew 11:28, the "Unforced Rhythms of Grace," instead of "Rule of Life."
INTENTIONALITY
In a previous post on a Rule of Life, we quoted Ruth Haley Barton, and it's well worth repeating here: "Many of us try to shove spiritual transformation into the nooks and crannies of a life that is already unmanageable, rather than being willing to arrange our life for what our heart most wants. We think that somehow we will fall into transformation by accident” (Sacred Rhythms, pp. 146-7. Emphasis added).
The simple truth is that pursuing Christ requires intentionality, and that intentionality can so easily slip through out fingers, particularly in the midst of disruption. (In fact, I am anticipating that this fact is going to hit me in a brand new way as we welcome our first child into the world next week!) A Rule of Life can help us to move towards intentionality and reengage with God.
When it comes to crafting a Rule of Life there are numerous ways to approach it, but we prefer the simple rhythm of crafting one by frequency. Ask yourself:
What practices do I want to engage daily? Weekly, monthly, quarterly, annually?
What helps me to connect with God and grow in my life with Him?
How can I participate in the Holy Spirit’s work of transforming me into someone who looks and loves and lives like Jesus?
This process in neither goal-oriented nor achievement-based. You don't win any brownie points for a more intense rule or for faithfully practicing everything perfectly. That is to miss the point entirely. A Rule of Life is simply a tool to help us create rhythms in our pursuit of God. Nothing more, nothing less.
You likely already have these rhythms in place: daily bible reading and/or memorization, journaling, devotional reading, attending church or a small group/bible study, praying as a family, engaging in life-giving dialogue about God with a friend, a favorite prayer practice... these are a few rhythms you may be familiar with or currently practicing. A Rule of Life just helps you to be intentional in these rhythms, and to prayerfully clarify why these rhythms are important to you and your life with God.
We have written on this more in depth in previous posts, so rather than making this post long, you can find the links to our previous posts down at the bottom.
TECHNOLOGY
Just one final note on technology: Technology may be one of the biggest hindrances to our pursuit of Christ, providing us with an endless source of distractions. Many writers are focusing more and more attention on the impact that technology is having on our spiritual life. Practices like engaging with Scripture before we look at our phone in the morning or turning our phone off for an hour a day can be immensely helpful. Last year, we invited a group of people to practice Justin Whitmel Earley's Common Rule with us for 6 weeks and we consistently heard from people of all different ages say that changing the way they engaged with technology was immensely powerful in helping them pursue Jesus. To read more about this, see The Common Rule by Justin Earley or read our post on it here.
QUESTIONS TO ASK:
What practices have helped you stay rooted and grounded in Christ this past year?
How is the Lord inviting you to seek him this year?
What obstacles to pursuing Christ do you foresee in this coming season?
FURTHER RESOURCES
TO DOWNLOAD OUR RULE OF LIFE PDF:
Subscribe to our newsletter and receive our Rule of Life Worksheet. If you don’t know where to start, this is a helpful guide!
Previous posts you may want to check out: