Have you ever created grand resolutions only to watch February chew them up and spit them out? I have!
My friends, there's a better way!
Forget New Year's Resolutions, and create a Rule of Life.
For centuries, the church has taught and used a rule of life for individuals and communities. If you want to go deeper in your life with Christ and community this year, then check out my interview with my friend, Darryl Dash.
Here are some key ideas and quotes from the interview that Darryl put together:
Key Ideas
A Rule of Life helps us put on paper some of the practices that help us become the person we want to be.
A Rule of Life helps us say yes and no to things in life that help us and hinder us.
Monks developed the idea of a Rule of Life to follow Jesus together in community.
A Rule of Life helps us understand the practices we need to put in place to follow Jesus, given our personalities and the streams of culture.
Your Rule is a living document that will change over time.
The best place to begin in writing a Rule is with spiritual practices.
Write various practices under categories, such as communion with God, rest, community with others, and work.
A Rule of Life is primarily about relationships. It points us towards joy and life.
Writing a Rule of Life is a good first step.
Quotes
“A Rule of Life helps me decide what are the things in life that I’m going to say yes to so that I can abide more deeply in my relationship with Jesus. And then what are the things in my life that I need to say no to, so that I can abide more deeply in my relationship with Jesus.”
“I would not necessarily recommend you look at someone else’s Rule of Life to build out your own. That’s not necessarily a good place to start, in my opinion.”
“A Rule of Life primarily for me is about relationship. It’s about my relationship with Jesus, it’s about my relationship with others, and my relationship with Jesus is life-giving.”
“It’s all about relationship. It’s not just about our progress or our achievements, it’s about what are the obstacles to union and communion with Christ. And how can we take those obstacles out of the way experientially?”
“For the overachievers, the active folks in the room, with your Rule of Life, you probably need to pull the dial back.”
What's keeping you from creating a rule?
If you want more practical help creating your rule of life, here are some resources for you:
Where to start — What do you want?
Wrestle the Chaos — How to Create a Rule of Life?
Wishing you a Happy New Year from Steadfast Ministries!
Want help growing in emotional and spiritual health? Trying to discern a big life decision or overcome a challenging obstacle? Want to be closer to Jesus? Interested in coaching or a workshop for your team? I can help.
