Your Divine Rhythm

Are you feeling like you have too many things in the air to manage? Perhaps you feel as if your life is too slow, with an empty space waiting to be filled by something meaningful. There is a reason we feel out of sorts when our lives are off tune, the reason being that we are called to live a balanced life - a life in sync with our Divine rhythm.

Balance and Rhythm

When I started my faith journey, I used the word "balance" all the time. I would write in my journal, "I'm so tired. I just need a balanced life!" Almost twenty years later, I do not use that word as much. Balance can give the impression that everything in life is to be equal and perfectly in place, and this can lead to unrealistic expectations and feeling like a constant failure. Life is rarely in perfect balance. There are times when one part of your life takes the majority of your energy. If you are raising small kids, caring for an elderly parent, or going back to school, your life will feel out of balance for a time.

I like to use the word, “rhythm” now. It takes into account the uniqueness of all our journeys. Rhythm gives the sense that you are moving in tune with something bigger than you. It is the invitation to be in alignment with the life God called you to the moment God breathed life into your being.

Divine Rhythm

Your Divine rhythm is your dance with God. It is the pacing that is in sync with how you were created. It means you are living according to the pace God is calling you to in your current season of life. God knows your personality, strengths, weaknesses, commitments, and dreams. Your Divine rhythm accounts for all of that.

Being Intentional

Living according to your Divine rhythm requires setting boundaries so you can say yes and no to the commitments and habits that align with your values. Living according to a Divine rhythm is living with a single-mindedness without distractions that get in the way of where you are called to put your time and talent. When I say single-mindedness I don’t mean narrow-mindedness or rigidity. A Divine rhythm calls for a constant listening and openness to the still voice of God.

A Focused Mission

The Mission of the Seventy from Luke 10:1-12 is a helpful guide for reflection. Spend some time reading it and take notice that Jesus empowered others to build up the reign of God. In what instances in your life do you want to remember that you are not alone to do everything by yourself? How can you empower others? What are the distractions that get in the way of the important yeses and noes? When people don’t respond to your boundaries the way you want them to, in what ways are you called to wipe the dust off your feet? What are you called to hold loosely? I invite you to read slowly and prayerfully.

After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. He said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house!’ And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; cure the sick who are there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.’ I tell you, on that day it will be more tolerable for Sodom than for that town (Lk 10:1-12 [NRSV]).

Sabbath Moments

Taking intentional moments - Sabbath moments - give us the time and space to hear how we are called to live with a focus on God. God created a seventh day of rest as a beautiful gift to remind us of our need for balance. The Sabbath gives us a pattern between creation and rest. The Divine balance is not simply about taking a Sunday off from your work week. It is an invitation to find balance between work and rest; prayer and action; solitude and community. Divine balance calls us to a rhythm of going within for quiet reflection and going out into the world to serve. It is a calling to both spend time alone and to go out and be in community. Divine balance is about doing and it is about being. This swaying in and out helps us know ourselves and know God in order to better listen to how we are called to live. 

Whether you are practicing a five-minute Sabbath moment in the middle of your day or taking your whole Sunday off, practicing the Sabbath is an invitation to stand before God and simply be. Allow for your being to be enough before God. 

Pressing Pause

Practicing the Sabbath is stepping away from all that drives you. That may be completing to-do lists; fear; caring for others. Whether you are driven by unhealthy motivations, holy ones, or a mixture of both, it is important to press pause.

Stop.

Let down your guard.

Detach.

Breathe.

When you do this, you recognize how you are not in charge of everything. This is a moment of humility - a reminder you are one small part of a larger body of Christ. Allow for a moment in which God loves you for your being, not for your doing. 

When you slow down, you discover details of creation you would not ordinarily notice: the taste of coffee; the sweetness of an apple in season; the unique shape of a leaf; the warmth of the sun; the cool breeze. You begin to look at everything with new, grateful eyes. 

Detaching from all that drives you gives you a fresh perspective. Some things that seemed stressful are no longer important. Interactions you did not have time for take on profound significance. Taking care of yourself, your relationships, and God’s creation takes on bigger importance. 

Share

I would love to hear your experience. What kind of Sabbath moments do you take in your day? Week? Month? Year? What kind of Sabbath moments would you like to to practice? How do they help you connect with the Divine rhythm of your life?