Your Divine Rhythm
A Reflection by Christine Jurisich
If you are feeling tired, overwhelmed by your inbox, or just plain down right now, I invite you to pause for a moment.
Notice the rhythm within you and around you.
Start by recognizing the natural rhythm of your breath.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Your Rhythm
There is a natural rhythm within us that serves as a reminder of the balance between work and rest, between doing and being. How often do you listen for or notice that natural rhythm? In the book, "Sabbath: Finding Rest, Renewal, and Delight in our Busy Lives," Wayne Muller describes the natural rhythm of rest in all of life.
All life requires a rhythm of rest. There is a rest in our waking activity and the body's need for sleep. There is a rhythm in the way day dissolves into night, and night into morning. There is a rhythm as the active growth of spring and summer is quieted by the necessary dormancy of fall and winter. There is a tidal rhythm, a deep, eternal conversation between the land and the great sea. In our bodies, the heart perceptibly rests after each life-giving beat; the lungs rest between the exhale and the inhale. [1]
This swaying in and out between doing and being is what our Divine rhythm is all about. 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!" It is now decades later, and I am not using that word as much. Balance can give the impression that everything in life is to be equal and perfectly in place, which 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 caring for an elderly parent or spouse, newly retired, or adjusting to kids moving out of the house, your life will feel out of balance for a period of time.
Rhythm
Rhythm is defined as a strong, regular, or repeated pattern of movement or sound. I like the word rhythm because it gives the sense of being connected to something bigger. Rhythm is about movement, flow, and dynamic energy. There are fast rhythms and slow rhythms. All of them make music. When complementary rhythms come together, we hear a beautiful song.
Your Dance with God
Your Divine rhythm is your dance with God. God called you to a rhythm of life the moment God breathed life into your being. Your Divine rhythm is the pacing that is in sync with how you are created. It means you are living according to the pace God is calling you to in your season of life. Your season of life. God knows your personality, strengths, weaknesses, commitments, and dreams. God knows if you are recently retired, struggling with a new health issue, or just became an empty nester. Your Divine rhythm accounts for all of that. Divine rhythm calls for an opening of the heart and a focus on listening for the still voice of God guiding how you are called to live throughout your day, week, and year.
Living Off-Tune
I care about balance and rhythm because I am constantly trying to reevaluate my rhythm of work and rest. My struggle with having a balanced life was the reason I began going deeper into my faith more than twenty years ago. If you have read my book, Retreat, Reflect, Renew: A Sacred Journal for A More Peaceful You, you have read my story. At the time, I did not feel connected to myself, to others, or to God. My life was in a constant state of spinning. I describe the moment I realized I needed to change
It was time for me to listen and recognize how I was living my life. I was driving myself and those around me crazy by constantly trying to meet unrealistic expectations. I was exhausted all the time, always running late, never present to my family, and never satisfied with anything I did or had. [2]
During this time in my life, I was introduced to a spiritual growth ministry* that helped me work on issues including self-acceptance and healthy choice-making. I had been yearning for more balance, yet I did not understand how that had anything to do with my faith life. The ministry invited me to grow closer to God while growing closer to myself. That was the approach that opened the door to transformation for me. I discovered the interconnectedness and importance of listening to the balance God calls me to in different seasons of life. This is why I like the word, “rhythm.” It is as if I am following along to the beat of God’s breath of life in me. I am drawn to the more holistic approach allowing for realistic expectations.
Your Rhythm and Your Season
The rhythm of life shifts with circumstance and season. Facing an empty house when the last of the children moves out; managing chronic health issues; becoming a grandparent; aging; retiring. All of these create a different look and feel for your life. Any type of change will affect the rhythm of life you are used to: a new job, divorce, marriage, the loss of a loved one, or starting to take care of grandkids. Be gentle with yourself. If you are living according to a life situation that no longer exists, your rhythm is going to feel off. If you are in transition, give yourself time to get used to a new rhythm of your life.
When you allow yourself to be open to listening for your Divine rhythm, you may not find the perfect balance you expect; it might be a rhythm of presence and meaning. Most importantly, it can be a rhythm of growth into Divine Wholeness that speaks to this season in your life.
Let us pause again.
Notice the rhythm within you and around you.
Recognize the natural rhythm of your breath.
Inhale.
Exhale.
As you breathe in, be aware that you are inhaling the breath of God.
As you breathe out, let go and surrender yourself into the rhythm God calls you to in this very moment.
Go Deeper
If this reflection speaks to you, learn more about our six-week online and in-person retreat, “Finding your Divine Rhythm: Connecting with the Peace and Balance that Speaks to Your Season of Life.”
*The spiritual growth ministry I reference above was called the Ministry of Mothers Sharing at the time. It is currently available as Grace Within. Retreat, Reflect, Renew now owns the rights to the material and is using some of the personal and spiritual growth process that awakened my faith for a new five-month program starting January 2025, “Sacred Self, Sacred Community.”
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In what ways are you open to the rhythm God is calling you to for this season of life?
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[1] Wayne Muller, Sabbath: Finding Rest, Renewal, and Delight in Our Busy Lives (New York: Bantam Books, 2000), 1. [2] Christine Jurisich, Retreat, Reflect, Renew: A Sacred Journal for A More Peaceful You (2013), 6-7.