3 Questions for Finding Your Rhythm
October has arrived! I love October…always have…always will. It may be because it’s my birth month, but I think more importantly I love when the weather itself announces a new season. I can think of little I enjoy more than awakening to a crisp, cool morning. I go out on my back porch, listen to the birds, open my Bible and talk with God…the perfect start to a new day.
October is a great time to settle into the new rhythm of your fall schedule. If you are like me, I revved up for fall activities and schedules as the summer wound down. I was a little nervous as I made fall commitments and attempted some new activities. But now that all the firsts are over, I can settle into the gentle rhythm of a balanced life.
Finding balance in life is not easy… but it is attainable. I was speaking with a friend recently who was frantic like so many in our culture. Overcommitted, running from meeting to meeting, appointment to appointment, she already looked exhausted and fall was only beginning. She asked me the secret to my lack of frenzy and the abiding peace I display.
I explained that many years ago I was misdiagnosed with an incurable disease. It caused me to stop and re-evaluate my entire life…what were my priorities?…how did I spend my days?…what really was important in this life?
I realized that many of the activities I pursued were simply commitments to which I felt obligated to say, “Yes” in order to meet another’s expectations. Or they were commitments made to satisfy culture’s demand for accumulating “things” or achieving “accomplishments.” They were things of little eternal value.
It was during that time God gave me direction for the way I spend my time now. I ask myself several questions:
1. Does this activity support my desire to fulfill the purposes God placed me on this earth to complete? Though Jesus left so many untouched and untaught, He said at the end of His life, “Father, I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work YOU gave ME to do.” (John 17:4)
2. Is this activity consistent with my values and does it enable me to reach goals such as building and enhancing relationships with my family and friends? Taking the time necessary to love and enrich the lives of family, friends, and strangers is a significant value in my life, more important than accumulating wealth or acquiring things. “God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence in the day of judgement: In this world we are like Jesus…We love because He first loved us.” (I John 4:17-21)
3. Will adding this activity leave me feeling harried and exhausted, keeping me from living at peace with myself and others? Peace has become a hugely significant commodity in my life. I’m not willing to live an exhausted, frazzled life anymore. It’s amazing how we don’t think we have a choice. Yet we are making choices every day that determine whether our life is at peace and in balance or not. It’s not easy to learn to say “No,” but I’ve come to realize it’s essential. Until you can freely say “No” to those things God has not desired as part of the routine of your life, and say “Yes” to those purposes He desires for you to fulfill, you will not find peace. Inner peace has become a determinant for me to decide what to accept and reject in my life. “You will keep in perfect and constant peace the one whose mind is steadfast [that is, committed and focused on You—in both inclination and character], Because he trusts and takes refuge in You [with hope and confident expectation].” Isaiah 26:3 Amplified
So what does your fall look like? Are you ready to eliminate some responsibilities that you may have too readily agreed to accept? Are you willing to say “No” to activities that when coupled with other demands, leave you haggard and frustrated? Are you willing to say “Yes” to more time spent with God, family, friends and strangers?
Find your fall rhythm and you will find rest. God wants you to find rest. Don’t just hope someday you will achieve a peaceful life. Make choices that offer you this life today! It’s a significant part of Your Refreshed Life!
