Sustaining Rhythms.

 There is an occasion for everything,

and a time for every activity under heaven…

~Ecclesiastes 3:1 (CSB)

Our lives are built on patterns, cycles of life that are always circling.  We have the yearly calendar – January to December – and the school calendar – August/September to May/June.  We have the seasons themselves – spring to summer to autumn to winter.  We have circadian rhythms – our sleeping and waking cycle.  We speak of wilderness or dry seasons as opposed to flourishing and productive seasons.  There is the most foundational cycle of birth, life, and death and the natural transition of life from baby to child to young adult to middle-aged to elderly.  

Within these cycles of living, we see a harmonious balance of opposites: rest and activity, sleeping and waking, growth and hibernation, renewal and completion, day and night, summer and winter, life and death.

The author of Ecclesiastes lists an exquisite array of opposites for us to consider:

a time to give birth and a time to die;
a time to plant and a time to uproot; 
a time to kill and a time to heal;
a time to tear down and a time to build;
a time to weep and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn and a time to dance;

a time to throw stones and a time to gather stones;
a time to embrace and a time to avoid embracing;
a time to search and a time to count as lost;
a time to keep and a time to throw away;
a time to tear and a time to sew;
a time to be silent and a time to speak;
a time to love and a time to hate;
a time for war and a time for peace. (Ecc. 3:2-8)

Each has a season, an appointed time in which it is functioning.  Each has a time limit; it has a finite conclusion.  Yet each season is also a cycle.  We can be assured that each will come in its proper time.  We often fear loss or uncertainty, and many of the items in the above list can fall under the "loss" or "uncertainty" categories of life for many of us.  I don't enjoy the seasons of mourning or weeping or tearing down or searching.  Yet, God uses everything for His purposes.  Romans 8:28 tells us, "We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose."  We have an assurance from God that everything we experience and every situation we encounter, He is at work in it.  

These are seasons in the broad sense; they are rhythms of life that may be all-consuming at times.  We also have daily rhythms of life that dictate sleeping, eating, working, playing, and resting.  Our daily rhythms serve us best when we are walking through any of the above seasons.

When I walked through a deep depression during a season, my counselor encouraged me to develop rhythms like working out and journaling to help me process and manage my emotions.  It was challenging to build any sort of rhythm when I was living in the darkness.  I have found that it is during my "easier" seasons that I can better establish rhythms and routines that serve me during darker or harder periods. 

One essential element to our rhythms is found in God.  In the beginning of the book of Joshua, The LORD spoke to Joshua.  Joshua is mourning the loss of his mentor and the Israelite leader, Moses.  He is struggling.  God tells Joshua a few things: 1) Meditate on God’s instructions day and night and observe them. 2) Be strong and courageous.  The Lord your God is with you wherever you go (Joshua 1:8-9).

I imagine God’s instructions to us would be similar – meditate on His Word and be strong and courageous because He is with us always.  As we approach our daily and weekly rhythms, regardless of the specific season we are in, let us consider how they support our faith and life.  Are they working for you, or do you need to consider an adjustment?

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As part of our September Series, each post will have a challenge for you each week.  Drop a note in the comments or on Instagram @avmccoy20 to let me know how it goes.

Challenge for the Week:

Consider your rhythms.  What season are you experiencing right now?  What do your daily and weekly routines look like?  What gets prioritized?  What gets set to the side for a moment?  What do you need to adjust so that your rhythms support your faith and life better?