God in My Everything: How an Ancient Rhythm Helps Busy People Enjoy God

The rule of keeping a Sabbath frees me to spend time with family and not feel guilty that I am not working. On the flipside, I am committed to working when it is time to work without feeling guilty that I am not with my family. In a very practical way, this rule sets life-giving limits for me. A “monastic bell” enables us to establish our limits wi

We don’t read the Bible, pray, or perform some “spiritual task” so we can check them off our to-do lists. The practices, rather, create space for us to enjoy company with Jesus. They enable us to receive the life of God and are thus aptly called “a means of grace.”

In response, it’s helpful to remember that if these practices make our lives feel heavier or become just one more thing to do, in all likelihood we have established a self-constructed rule rather than a Spirit-created one. Jesus, after all, tells us that his yoke is easy and his burden is light. He teaches us that under his “yoke” — that is, by fol

Benedict’s perspective can be summarized in the famous dictum, “To pray is to work; to work is to pray.”

Creating a rule in response to the movement of the Spirit may also involve simplifying certain practices so that our relationship with Jesus is served.

We may also find that a practice once helpful in the past no longer seems fruitful. We might consider dropping the practice or trying something more challenging.

We learn that because God doesn’t sleep, we can. Understanding that God provides for us in our sleep, we are freed to live with less anxiety.8

If something comes up and we cannot keep our rule for a period of time, there’s no need to fret or be anxious. We need a rule that bends. We don’t exist for the rule. The rule exists for us.

Saint Benedict’s rule was designed with “a little strictness in order to amend faults and to safeguard love.” His rule is also famous for its gentleness and flexibility. He insisted that “in drawing up its regulations, we hope to set down nothing harsh, nothing burdensome.”7