Summer is always an interesting season of life for me. At Hope, things both slow down and speed up in ways. The church schedule slows down a bit; less weekly commitments makes for a more open week. But it also speeds up--that open schedule allows me to travel and participate in ministry more readily outside of my usual parameters. That's an incredible blessing in many ways, but it also messes with my weekly and even daily rhythms of life, which I seem to spend my fall, winter and spring re-establishing.
In my Vocation of Ministry (VOM) class at seminary, we spent part of our time discussing and developing a rule of life. A rule of life is designed to function as a set of guiding principles that shape your life into the one you feel called to live by regularly committing to certain practices and disciplines that will yield a healthy life for you. The concept of a rule of life stems back to early monastic practices, and is best embodied in the Rule of Saint Benedict, which has been used by the Benedictine monks for fifteen centuries. While a personal rule of life may not have the breath and depth of a monastic rule, it's aim is the same: to give your life structure that ultimately puts you in a better position for growth and obedience in your journey of faith. It's a practical way to take ownership of the working out of your salvation as Christ works in you "to will and to act for His good pleasure" (Phil. 2:12-13)
One of the first things we were instructed to do when developing our own rule was to make a list of the practices that we know to be most critical to our faith. These may not be areas that you are strongly growing in at the time, but should be a working inventory of the things you know will nurture your spiritual growth. Include things that you currently do as well as things you hope to integrate into your life. Many people divide these activities into daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, or other intervals of time based on the activity (i.e. a practice of sabbath keeping is a weekly practice by nature, while having an extended time of solitude may be something you can do only once or twice a year). These activities should also be holistic in nature, meaning your entire life should be integrated into your rule (for it is all spiritual). So your mind, body, soul, and community should all be taken into account when gathering these things together; this can include physical activity, social involvement, family commitments, etc...
Once you gather these things, structuring your rule can begin. Remember: the goal of a rule of life is not to structure yourself into as legalistic pattern of living, but rather to frame your life daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, in a way that enables a growing communion with God and a growing obedience to/from God. So you should avoid simply listing things that you already do, which won't encourage a stretching growth, and you should avoid piling a list of structure on yourself that requires a complete revamping of life. Challenge yourself, but also make sure your choices are not so un-natural that they become a checklist to get done each day. I like the language of rhythm when thinking about these practices; they should have a natural pulse that you fall in line with, even if they vary from time to time. (think about it: you have some natural rhythms in your day--sequences you follow when you wake, when you go to bed, etc... How can you integrate these practices into your daily rhythms?)
I'm currently rehashing my rule of life. The one I did for class was rushed and poorly thought out in my opinion. I've resisted publishing mine here, as I don't think there is a prescriptive way of doing this. I've seen a number of people's rule of life, and they are all different and very distinct to that person. And people change theirs regularly based on how they are growing and how their calling is being refined. What I love most about this practice is the intentional direction it takes to own the process of growth; God calls us to transformation through Christ by His Spirit, and our lives are designed for this kind of transformation. Through ordering your life intentionally, you can better posture yourself for the kind of communing encounters that change us and our world.
If this is a practice you're interested in, leave me a comment and perhaps we can collaborate/discuss more.
