Rooted in a Rule of Life
Ron’s springtime photo of a country cemetery on the Palouse reminds me deep roots keep us grounded throughout life. Even though the afterlife is filled with mystery, I imagine the roots we grow now will matter even into eternity.
Back in the sixth century, Benedict of Nursia, an Italian monk, insisted on a Rule of Life for his Monastic community. The Benedictine Rule, which is practiced 1500 years later in religious communities around the world, is rooted in Scripture, as well as in the practical realities of everyday life, and it always points to Christ.
A major assignment for the spiritual direction certification program I completed a few months ago was writing a personal Rule of Life. At first, I resisted this assignment because I don’t like the idea of my Christian faith filled with a lot of “rules.” The more I learned, however, the more I embraced the wisdom of this ancient spiritual practice.
Of all my assignments, I believe it became the most pivotal for my spiritual formation. Developing a “Rule” helped me:
focus on random practices and gather them into a cohesive document;
discern best practices;
focus on “holy” habits;
set goals that are “faith-steps;”
bring a sense of integration to my whole soul—physical, emotional, relational, intellectual, vocational, and spiritual.
My sweet, enormously talented, Millennial friend, Sarah, created this graphic to help illustrate. The opening paragraph of my Rule of Life document explains:
The Latin word for “RULE” (regula) was originally the word for ‘trellis.’ In the same way a vine needs pruning, it also needs a trellis to lift it off the ground so it can bear the maximum amount of fruit and keep free of predators and diseases. I too need a Regula as a kind of support structure to bring congruence to the unique, yet interconnected, components of my soul.
The concluding portion of my personal Rule of Life is to live a life of pilgrimage. In Thursday’s post, I will speak more about being a pilgrim and pilgrimage.
Until then,
Blessings on your Journey,
