We are all on a journey. It is our personal journey – and we travel it along side others. We learn from those we travel with and from those who have traveled before. We learn by making mistakes. And we learn by educating ourselves. We learn by making choices. The way we experience, process, think, pray, read, enhances and personalizes our journey. What we do with our journey is ours to decide. When we take time to spend on our journey through a day, a bible study, or a retreat we are making our spiritual life a priority. I believe that when we interrupt our daily lives and make larger amounts of uninterrupted time available for God to shape us, we find space for growth that is often more powerful than the growth that surely happens in our full and busy lives. I also believe that God uniquely speaks to us when we immerse ourselves in nature, which is surely one of the benefits of a day apart or weekend away. We have been learning much from Ignatius and Benedict, both whom wrote rules, firections, orders, plans for their lives. Perhaps this is a good time for you to do the same:
Creating, A Little Rule, From Soul Feast, page 137-138 (written my Majorie Thompson, Upper Room Books).
“There is a name in Christian tradition for the kind of structure that support our spiritual growth. It is called a rule of life. Without a rule of life, very little of what you have been reading and exploring will prove to be of lasting value to you. This is an opportunity for you to begin putting together what you have learned. It is time to make some choice concerning the spiritual practices you fell called to engage in.
A rule of life is a pattern of spiritual disciplines that provides structure and direction for growth in holiness. When we speak of patterns in our life, we mean attitudes, behaviors or elements that are routine, repeated, regular…A rule of life, like a trellis, curbs our tendency to wander and supports our frail efforts to grow spiritually…The purpose of a rule is to help us grow into holiness. God calls us to holy as God is holy, to grow into greater intimacy with the One we are created to resemble”
Take a bit of time and discern what disciplines you are drawn to. Choose 3 or 4 to weave into your life. Write them down. Commit yourself to them. Find someone who will hold you accountable to your little rule.
Write your rule on the paper provided. You may choose to decorate, paint, collage your little rule. When you are finished, find a friend and share your rule.
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