RULE OF LIFE
Photo by Dennis Ottink on Unsplash
Why Engage It?
When we think of a rule of life, it sounds controlling and restrictive, maybe even reminding us of grade school and all the rules we had to follow. But a spiritual rule of life is not like that at all; it is, in fact, something that creates freedom of heart and mind. A rule of life is a structure that we create to help our mind and heart grow toward God and Christian living, to be intentional about who we are as Christ followers. It is self-created guidelines that we know will be good for us and healthy in our everyday life.
How to Practice It
A rule of life can be daily, weekly, monthly or yearly. For example, a daily rule can be:
Saying the Lord’s Prayer every morning,
Or practicing the Daily Examen each night to see where you partnered with God and where you missed an opportunity.
A weekly rule might be:
To fast from screen time for a day,
Or fast from lunch once a week,
Or sit out on the deck on the weekend and read something edifying for the soul for two hours,
Or take a long walk in the park.
A monthly rule might be:
Calendaring in a day of solitude once a month,
Or a day of prayer or silence for 8 hours,
Or seek spiritual direction every four weeks.
A yearly rule might be:
To take a retreat weekend for the purpose of seeking God and/or self-reflection.
The list is endless, and there is no right or wrong rule. It is whatever you know you need to help create structure for meeting God and strengthening your faith. Creativity is key - the more creative you can be, the better! For example, I do not listen to the radio in my car...ever. I pray as I drive each day. That is a simple rule that I can embrace daily and is self-imposed. That doesn’t mean anyone else in my family has to do that, it just works for me!
Experiment! Be free to combine practices! See what works! Don’t see it as a rule, see it as creating space for faith to flourish.