Rule of Life

"A rule for life is a simple statement of the regular rhythms we choose in order to present our bodies to God as our "spiritual act of worship" (Romans 12:1). Each rule, or rhythm, is a way we partner with God for the transformation only he can bring." (p. 36 Spiritual Disciplines Handbook)

Many of us have heard of the Rule of Saint Benedict or the Franciscan Rule of Life. These Rules were written by monks for monks as a way of structuring and ordering the common life of the monastery. However, having a rule of life goes all the way back to the book of the Acts of the Apostles. Acts 2:42 says, "They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers." The earliest followers of Jesus thought that every Christian should follow these four ways of living: learning the teachings, being a part of the community, sharing in Communion, and praying together. Ever since then, Christians have been developing their own rules of life and rules of living for their communities.

Having a rule of life can be a very enriching practice. One way to try out a rule of life is to set a time limit on it, such as: "I will pray for ten minutes every morning for 40 days." Then when the 40 days are over you can look back on the rule and your relationship to it and see if it is really a good rule for your life. Not everyone's rules of life are the same. Night owls probably wouldn't like the early morning yoga and meditation practice of a morning lark. Whereas the morning lark might not be able to handle saying Compline every night at 11 pm. Part of the flexibility of a rule of life is that it fits your life and allows you to connect with God. What is in your rule of life?