As Ruth Haley Barton noted in her book Sacred Rhythms, “I was already becoming aware of CFS (Christian fatigue syndrome) in my own life. While I was trying harder and doing more, there was a yawning emptiness underneath it all that no amount of activity, Christian or otherwise, could fill. In the midst of such barrenness, it was hard to even imagine what Jesus might have meant when he said, ‘I came that they might have life, and have it abundantly’ (John 10:10). My first response to this awareness of longing was to try tweaking my schedule, learning how to say no more decisively, adopting new time management tools.”
However, this is only a short-term fix. What was needed instead was spiritual transformation; and we cannot transform ourselves, or anyone else for that matter. What we can do is create the conditions in which spiritual transformation can take place, by developing and maintaining a rhythm of spiritual practices that keep us open and available to God.
The movement from desire to discipline is important.
In Christian tradition, the structured arrangement of spiritual practices is referred to as “a rule of life.” A rule of life is a way of ordering our life around the values, practices and relationships that keep us open and available to God for the work of spiritual transformation that only God can bring about. Simply put, a rule of life provides structure and space for our growing.
Click here to learn more from Ruth Haley Barton about Sacred Rhythms
