Reflection
It is hard to believe another year is drawing to a close. It seems the older I get the faster the years pass. Obviously, time remains the same, but our days are filled with much, and the hours seem to vanish right before my eyes. I find it helpful at the end of a year to pause and reflect on what things have filled my days during the year, and consider if I want to give those same things equal billing in the year to come.
Merriam-Webster defines rhythm in two main ways:
1. A regular, repeated pattern of sounds or movement
2. A regular, repeated pattern of events, changes, activities, etc.
Rhythms are the things that we do on a repeated basis. They are the things that make up our days, which in turn make up our lives.
In these weekly emails, we’ve been talking about various spiritual formation practices and how we are invited to create rhythms around these practices to help us go deeper in our relationship with Jesus. We’ve talked about how these practices are not meant to be a glorified to-do list, but rather are an invitation for connection and transformation.
This week I want to encourage you to do a rhythm assessment. Maybe you’ll want to do this all in one sitting or maybe you want to spend the next few days mulling it over. Either way, be intentional about this time of reflection and be honest and compassionate with yourself.
What does a typical 24 hours look like for you?
What are the things you do every day?
Are there things you do every day that you would like to change?
What does a typical week look like for you?
What are the things you do every week?
Are there things that you do every week that you would like to change?
How much time do you spend scrolling your phone each day? (If you have an Apple device this information can be viewed in your settings under Screen Time.)
Is the time on your device beneficial to you?
Would you have more free time if you reduced your device time?
If you share a home with other people what rhythms do you have for spending time together?
Do you eat meals together?
Play games together?
Go on trips?
How are you building community within your home?
If you live alone who are you in community with, and what are your regular rhythms for spending time together?
If you have friends that live alone what rhythms do you have for inviting them into your home?
What spiritual formation practices are a part of your life today?
What spiritual formation practices would you like to see become a part of your life in the weeks to come?
What will it require to add new practices into your current rhythms?
Are you moving your body as much as you would like to each week?
Are you keeping your body hydrated?
What do you do for fun?
When do you rest?
These questions can help get you thinking about what rhythms you have in place, and which ones you want to add or change. Of course, this list is not exhaustive. I encourage you to spend some time prayerfully considering these questions, and invite the Holy Spirit to reveal to you the rhythms you might want to add or change.
I don’t know about you, but I sometimes find myself creating rhythms in my life that aren’t a good use of my time. It is helpful for me to be honest with myself about how I am filling my hours. When I find things that aren’t working the way I think they should, I often want to overhaul everything at once. I have found this is not a healthy or realistic way to make lasting change. I’ve learned to tackle one change at a time, and I’ve learned that inviting the Holy Spirit into the process of change is much more successful than me trying to do it on my own.
As we close out this year I pray that you know you are deeply loved. You were created for this very time in history and your voice matters. Whatever strengths and gifts God has placed within you are there to impact the lives of those that you live life with every day as you keep pointing them to Jesus over and over again. Transformation is happening in our lives every day. The rhythms we put into place determine what is transforming us. As we practice spiritual formation and fill our days with rhythms that cultivate a deep love of Jesus we will become more like him and in turn, our lives will reflect him more clearly with time.
~ Melissa