Like
most people I have a problem with sitting in traffic. Perhaps this is one of
the grandest understatements that has ever come forth from my mouth. I hate
traffic. My sister told me yesterday she drove several hours out of the way to
avoid some major wreaks on the way home from the beach. I told her I would have
done the exact same thing. As I reflected on that I discovered something I did
not know about myself. I do not like sitting in gridlock because in that time I
feel unproductive.
Each
and every one of us has a different obsession and mine very well may be
productivity. While I noticed the quirk occasionally, it took a friend and
fellow priest—during the sermon at Kim’s and my wedding no less—saying that I
practice “the strange act of over-functioning” for me to realize that sometimes
my deep desire to contribute may actually have a negative side to it. In this
way all gifts stand out as double-edged swords. Being productive may be
wonderful sometimes, but if it prevents one from ever resting or sitting in
traffic without panic, then is it not also a curse? There is more to life than
checking everything off our to-do lists or bucket lists or honey do lists.
The
rhythms of our lives change constantly. One week may be filled with visitors
coming into town, big projects at work, planning for a trip, and a million
other things. The next week may show a calendar that has only a couple of
events scarcely populating it. If we are not careful we will allow the rhythm
of our lives dictate how we relate to one another, to our own souls, and to
God. Strangely enough when we put our relationship with God first the other
aspects of life fall into place more simply—not necessarily perfectly or
without work, but more simply nonetheless. This is why you may often hear
clergy people talking about a rule of life.
A
rule of life is a set of guidelines that help one to order one’s life such that
she or he can most fittingly experience the profound grace within relationships
with self, others, and God. Today in the life of the Church we celebrate Saint Benedict
of Nursia whose ministry as a monastic, abbot, and leader pointed to living out
a rule of life that puts God first. Taking a look at his way of living provides
a richer way of living not into worldly productivity, but into a spiritual
fullness.
The
order of Saint Benedict has a very particular way that they go about their
communal life that still exists to this day. For a Benedictine monastic four
hours of the day are spent in liturgical prayer (i.e. the Daily Office or Holy
Communion) including the recitation of the entire Psalter every week; five
hours of the day are spent in spiritual study and reading; six hours are spent
doing labor of some kind; one hour is reserved for eating; and eight hours are
spent sleeping.[1]
This way of ordering one’s life gives a very particular rhythm that completely
focuses upon God—no wonder the Benedictine Order has been so widely practiced
since the 6th Century! While this method works well for some what
about those of us who cannot—at least not at the moment—dedicate 24 hours a day
to a monastic lifestyle predicated on vows of “obedience, stability, and
conversion of life”?[2]
Something
our rector, Evan Garner, likes to say is that whether we know it or not we all
have a rule of life—we just may not be aware of how we are ordering things. A
very telling practice is keeping a journal of our activities. Where are we
spending our time and energy? Another telling practice can be looking at a bank
statement. Where am I putting my treasure? We may believe that our focus ought
to be on cramming as much into every moment of the day as possible; however,
often what I find so freeing about putting God and spiritual practices first is
that everything else then falls into place.
We
already have rules of life. Are we putting concepts like productivity over
relationship with God? How will we take a hard look at our lives, so that we
may ensure that God comes first?
x
Seth, thus the benefit of pursuing centering prayer.
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