Do you ever feel like your work-life balance is out of whack?
I’ve read that even the idea of having a “work-life balance” is a myth because it’s all life, isn’t it?
I know what people feel when they describe the tension of being pulled in different directions. For many years, managing my solo practice meant more to me than just a job, it was inseparable from my values and passions.
Living in rhythm is not so much about “work-life balance” for me it’s more about the different aspects of my life coexisting with my work, my business.
There were times in my life when I felt more in rhythm throughout the year. Then there were weeks and months when I felt out of sync. During this Lenten season, I have been meditating on the Road to Emmaus story told in Luke 24.
Maybe like me, you desire to walk through life with a healthy daily rhythm.
If you do, read on.
According to Luke’s record, this event occurred on the same day as the resurrection events.The resurrected Christ came alongside with two of his followers as they walked to a village seven miles outside of Jerusalem. They didn’t recognize who he was until later.
Jesus’ followers were indignant that this stranger seemed clueless to the extraordinary events that had recently happened in Jerusalem.
Jesus walked alongside them pointing out everything from the Scriptures that referred to him. Jesus patiently revealed how he had been present throughout history from the beginning and he is still present with them.
He wasn’t in a hurry. He matched their pace stride for stride. They walked in rhythm as they made their way to their destination.
Humans are creatures of habit. We live by rhythms.
There is a pattern to our lives. We create daily, weekly and yearly routines, we prefer order to chaos.
It seems like we are always in a hurry to get somewhere, to be someone else, to get things done. Rarely do we take our time to walk and enjoy the journey.
Unfortunately, we’ve become more of a drive through or a driveby society than a people who walk and talk. Some of the most intimate conversations I’ve had with my wife Anne have occurred as we got “windshield time” on long road trips.
One take away from lent for me was to be more intentional about my rhythm of life. Every day we live is the micro view of our whole lives.
Somehow my priorities are revealed in my day to day habits, how I choose to invest in the few hours between sunrise and sunset. If we value those we love, our work, our community then creating intentional rhythms are of vital importance.
I am seeking to learn more about the Benedictine Rule to integrate prayer, recreation and work into my weekly rhythm.
I’ve purposed to structure my week to spend more “windshield time” with Jesus during each day, especially at the end of the day in Examen. I look forward to learning from him as he explains how he’s been present with me each day.
How about you?
We may be hardwired to live by rhythm but are our rhythms in step with what we believe is true about God.
Is there anything you feel moved to structure your daily routine as a loving response to the grace of God working in your life?
