With everything going on in the world around us, the daily rhythms of our lives are changing rapidly… in fact, right now, they are changing whether we want them to or not! Compared to last week, my weekly rhythms looked very different compared to the week prior, which actually looked very different from the week before that! I’m going to bet the rhythms in your life look very different right now as well!
Let me share with you a few ways my routines have changed over this past week:
- I haven’t worn real shoes in a week, I’ve been wearing out the fur inside my slippers!
- I haven’t used a travel coffee mug; I’ve been using a ceramic Star Wars coffee mug (showing off my nerdy-ness!)
- I haven’t used any hair product! I haven’t left the house, so I haven’t needed it. Maybe just a little water to tame the bedhead.
These are all some pretty silly examples but I’m going to bet some rhythms in your week looked pretty different as well!
Rhythms are a concept I’ve heard Pastor Josh talk a lot about in leading our church staff. He will often talk about getting ourselves into healthy rhythms for ministry and leadership, exactly what I want to talk about today. Rhythms are these “life grooves” or routines we establish for ourselves in our daily lives… some good and some bad.
With everything happening in our world right now around the Corona Virus, the rhythms and routines in our lives are literally being forced to change. So how can we take this circumstance and view it as an opportunity to turn this into a positive and to use it for God’s glory? The challenge I want to lay out there is for each of us to be willing to evaluate. Pastor Alex often uses this verse from Proverbs 4:26 which says, “Examine the paths of your feet, then all your ways will be sure.” We need to examine, or evaluate, what it is we are doing.
In an effort to examine the paths of your feet, ask yourself these following diagnostic questions:
- What about my rhythms are right?
What am I currently doing that does not need to change? Don’t overlook this question. It’s important to identify the areas that are working well in your life.
- What about my rhythms are wrong?
What am I doing that I just don’t need to be doing, or perhaps limit my time in this area? John 15:1-2 says, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” Perhaps a better way to phrase this question is where could my time be better spent? Identify where you can say no to the good, so that you can say yes to the best.
- What about my rhythms are missing?
What should I be doing that I have been neglecting or not prioritizing? Be sure to ask God to show you His perspective on things. In the Psalms, David prayed, “Search me O Lord.” Ask God to search your heart and to show you what rhythms are missing in your life.
I literally could not tell you how many times in my life that I have thought to myself, “I wish I had more time to spend in God’s word, I wish I had more time to pray, I wish I had more time with my wife.” Well, now is my opportunity! This is exactly why TODAY I want to bring up the idea, the challenge really, to examine our rhythms. Think about those 3 things – what’s right, what’s wrong and what’s missing.
In this past week, my wife Melissa and I have talked about how to be more intentional with this new found time we have been given. Here are a few of the rhythms we have chosen to put into place.
- Quiet time together – Each day (after work or homeschooling) before we turn on the TV or plop down on the couch, we’ve made a commitment that we are going to read and pray together. This has always been a challenge for us to do together and we want to make this rhythm a priority in our marriage.
- Devotions with our kids – We’ve been pretty good about making time to pray with our kids each day (at dinner, before bed, etc.); however, creating time to also read God’s word with them, or to them, is a rhythm we’d like to be more intentional about. We’ve picked bedtime as our time to be making intentional spiritual deposits into the lives of our kids right now.
To recap, the encouragement I want to share with you all this week resides in these 3 points:
- Evaluate your rhythms – Remember the words of Proverbs 4:26, “Examine the paths of your feet, then all your ways will be sure.” We may never again have such an obvious time to evaluate and prioritize what it is we spend our time doing. Ask yourself what about your current rhythms are right, wrong or missing.
Please feel free to respond using our GCKids Facebook or Instagram. I’d love to hear what new rhythms you have begun, or are thinking about beginning, with each of your families.
- Be intentional – Healthy spiritual rhythms do not happen by accident. There is no time like the present to put new rhythms into place. Sit down with your family to talk about this. Ask God, in prayer, where He is leading you. When is the best time to be intentional; morning, mealtime, after school, bedtime? Discuss together as a family and come up with a plan to be intentional.
- Lastly, if you need resources, be sure to check out our GCKids webpage (GraceChapel.org/connect/GCKids) or follow us on Facebook or Instagram. Each week we are putting out new content during this time to help families. We’ve got blogs written by our own Kids Ministry team, family small group questions, devotionals, activity pages and more. We are working hard to stay connected and want to give you some tools to create some healthy spiritual rhythms at home. God bless.
