Following Up
In the first week of this series, Carmelita challenged us to make a shift towards creating rhythms in our lives rather than resolutions. She defined these rhythms as “a repeated, grace-filled pattern that shapes who we are becoming over time.” The intention was to focus on the reason behind the rhythm, which is our relationship with God and what His Word says about how we should be living. Then, we can go about creating feasible and tangible goals. In other words, our rhythms become our natural lived out response to God’s Word in our lives. With this in mind, my hope is to help you look at the current structure of your life to see where you can create life-giving rhythms.
Stages and Seasons
All of us experience different life stages. These can range from being a young adult juggling college classes to navigating married life and parenthood or later stages like retirement. Each life stage has its own joys and challenges, and I like to refer to these as “seasons.” While stages are typically seen as longer periods of time categorized by major transitions in life, seasons tend to be reoccurring throughout life stages defined by emotions and feelings. As you try to create rhythms in your life, the first step is to identify your stage and season.
Routines
Once you’ve identified your stage and season of life, the next step is to recognize your routines. We are all creatures of habit and have the tendency to structure our lives in a way that allows us to complete the tasks required for each day. I can’t pretend to know what everyone’s routine looks like, but the goal is to clearly evaluate your day to see the consistent pieces that keep the day flowing smoothly. It's in these routines where you can create some natural rhythms. I’ll give you a little picture into my morning routine and how I created a better rhythm with just a small adjustment.
6:25am - Alarm goes off. If I’m honest, I usually hit snooze.
6:34am - Second alarm goes off. I open the Bible App on my phone for a quick time in Scripture and prayer
6:45am - Get the kids up and start the morning routines
7:35am - Out the door to school and carline (every parent’s favorite thing)
8:30am - Get to work
Although this may not be a “to-the-minute” outlook of my morning, it’s pretty close; and it’s moving pretty quickly. Over the years, I noticed how much time it takes to get all these things done in my mornings and planned in a way that I could afford to hit that snooze button. I understood that if I left the house by 7:35am I could avoid a certain backed up school zone making the drive to the school carline easier. While this allowed my morning routine to be efficient, it wasn’t energizing. I had begun to feel like part of my day was missing, and when I was really honest with myself, it was because I wasn’t being as intentional as I needed to be in my relationship with God.
One Scripture that has always stood out to me is Psalm 63:1 where David says, O God you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. When I read those words and the rest of the chapter (seriously, go read it), I’m reminded of the passionate relationship David had with God. Although he was far from perfect, his heart longed to be with and to honor God. Again, if I’m being honest, this stage of life that I'm in as a parent of younger kids has been hard. I haven’t always pursued my relationship with God the way I want to or need to. Not because my love of God changed, but because I have allowed the busyness to break down my old rhythms that drew me closer to Him. That’s why I realized I needed to make a change. That change started with creating a new rhythm for my morning routine.
Rhythm Created
Let’s jump back to Carmelita’s idea from last week of using S.M.A.R.T. goals to create rhythms. If I am going to create a life-giving, energizing rhythm to my morning it needs to be (S)pecific, (M)easurable, (A)chievable, (R)elevant, and (T)ime-bound so here’s what I plan to do.
Goal: Wake up at 6am to walk for approximately 25 minutes five days a week. This time will be filled with Scripture, prayer, and worship.
S - Walk five mornings a week while listening to Scripture, praying, and worshipping.
M - Did I walk 5 mornings? Y/N. Did I utilize this time for my relationship with Christ? Y/N.
A - This is a realistic weekday routine that allows me to have a more intentional time with Christ.
R - Aligns with the idea of pursuing God in Psalm 63.
T - Striving for a Monday to Friday setup, but may adjust week to week.
Make it Work for You
While I’ve given some insight into my routines, I know this is going to look different for you. My hope is that with the structure provided you can best identify your life stage and season, and evaluate your routine to create your own life-giving rhythm. I’ll also tell you that doing so is going to require you to be honest with yourself. You’re going to need to be real about the ways you can do better, but also driven and disciplined enough to make some sacrifices. Lastly, find someone to encourage you as you begin creating your rhythms. Give them permission to ask you how things are going or if you’re struggling. And when they do ask, give them honest answers. Don’t just tell them it’s going fine. Be real. That’s how you can keep growing. If you have questions about how to do any of this, don’t hesitate to reach out.
