Priorities To Keep In Mind When Crafting A Rule Of Life
A Rule of Life • The Six Forces Of Unintentional Formation • The Three Divine Means Of Grace • The Big Shift Into Christian Formation • Crafting A Rule Of Life
A Rule of Life • The Six Forces Of Unintentional Formation • The Three Divine Means Of Grace • The Big Shift Into Christian Formation • Crafting A Rule Of Life
Crafting a Rule of Life as a disciple of Christ involves centering your life on your relationship with God while also attending to the needs of a whole, complex human being that you are. Here are some important priorities to consider:
1. Spiritual Growth
Spiritual growth is foundational because it nurtures your relationship with God, the ultimate source of purpose, peace, and transformation. Prioritizing spiritual practices helps you stay rooted in Christ and open to His guidance, enabling all other aspects of life to align with His will.
Time with God: Prioritize daily practices that deepen your relationship with God, such as prayer, Bible study, meditation, and worship. Ask yourself, “How am I making space to hear from God and commune with Him?”
Spiritual Disciplines: Incorporate practices like silence, solitude, fasting, and Sabbath rest. These disciplines help cultivate a receptive heart for God’s voice and a life oriented around His will.
Continual Learning: Set goals for growing in your knowledge of Scripture, theology, and discipleship. This could include reading faith-based books, attending Bible studies, or participating in small groups.
2. Emotional Health and Well-Being
Emotional health is critical for sustaining inner peace, resilience, and genuine relationships. Prioritizing emotional well-being helps you address challenges and pain in a healthy way, allowing God’s healing and wisdom to shape your responses rather than reacting from stress or unresolved wounds.
Self-awareness and Reflection: Regularly reflect on your inner life, recognizing your feelings/emotions, strengths, and struggles. Practicing self-examination can help you identify areas where God wants to work in you.
Healthy Boundaries: Set limits around your commitments and relationships to prevent burnout and honor your own needs for rest and restoration.
Balance of Work and Rest: Avoid overcommitting to work or service and cultivate rhythms of rest and renewal, keeping the Sabbath as a time to reconnect with God and recharge.
3. Physical Health
Physical health affects your energy, focus, and ability to serve. By caring for your body, you honor the temple of the Holy Spirit and equip yourself for the endurance and alertness required for spiritual, relational, and vocational commitments.
Physical Care: Attend to your body through nutrition, exercise, and sleep, recognizing that your physical well-being affects your capacity to serve and grow spiritually.
Mindfulness and Stress Management: Practice mindfulness, breathing exercises, or even stretching to handle stress in a healthy way. Being intentional about your physical health can create the stability you need for a life of discipleship.
4. Relationships and Community
Relationships and community reflect God’s design for connection and mutual support. Prioritizing these helps you grow in love, joy, accountability, and service, as well as receive the encouragement and companionship necessary for spiritual and personal growth.
Fellowship and Accountability: Commit to relationships that encourage your growth in faith. Surround yourself with people who challenge and inspire you to follow Jesus more closely.
Love and Service: Intentionally serve others in your community, showing Christ’s love through acts of kindness, compassion, service and your witness. Consider how you can live out your faith in tangible ways to benefit others.
Family and Friendships: Prioritize time for loved ones, supporting, caring, and sharing life together. These relationships are foundational to emotional and spiritual health and provide opportunities to practice Christ-like love.
5. Purpose and Vocation
Purpose and vocation provide a sense of direction and meaning, empowering you to live out God’s calling in your life. Focusing on this area helps you steward your gifts effectively and serve in a way that contributes to God’s Kingdom and blesses others.
Calling and Mission: Identify your God-given gifts, passions, and calling. Determine how you can use these to serve others and bring glory to God in your everyday life.
Work with Purpose: View your work as a way to worship and serve God. Set goals for how your work aligns with your values and serves others, contributing to the Kingdom.
Ongoing Discernment: Be open to the Spirit’s guidance, ready to reassess and reorient your life goals in alignment with God’s calling and purposes.
6.Stewarding Use of Time and Resources
Intentionality with time and resources is crucial because how you invest them reflects what you truly value. Thoughtfully stewarding these areas allows you to live purposefully, avoid distractions, and focus on what aligns with your priorities in Christ.
Stewardship of Time: Structure your daily, weekly, and monthly routines to reflect your values and priorities. Plan for times of work, rest, community, and recreation.
Financial Stewardship: Handle money in a way that honors God, incorporating generosity, simplicity, and gratitude. Set up a budget that supports your priorities and allows for giving to causes that matter to you.
Intentional Technology Use: Establish boundaries for technology to avoid distraction, overstimulation, or digital addiction, making room for what truly matters.
7. Personal Growth and Creativity
Personal growth and creativity express God’s unique design for each individual. Prioritizing these areas fuels lifelong learning, encourages exploration of your God-given talents, and adds joy and fulfillment, ultimately enhancing your ability to serve and glorify God.
Learning and Growth: Cultivate your God-given curiosity by continuing to learn and develop your skills and passions.
Creative Expression: Explore ways to express your uniqueness and creativity, recognizing this as a gift from God that can enrich your life and bless others.
8. Rest and Recreation
Rest and recreation are vital for renewal and resilience, allowing you to recharge physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Prioritizing rest reminds you of your dependence on God and helps prevent burnout, while recreation brings joy and refreshment, deepening your ability to engage fully in your purpose and relationships. Embracing rest also aligns with the biblical rhythm of Sabbath, a practice that sustains and nourishes all other areas of life.
Physical and Mental Renewal: Rest restores your body and mind, providing the energy and clarity needed to engage fully in your daily life and spiritual journey.
Prevention of Burnout: Regular rest and recreation help guard against exhaustion and burnout, allowing you to serve and grow with endurance and joy.
Alignment with God’s Rhythm: Embracing rest reflects trust in God’s provision and aligns with the Sabbath principle, fostering a life balanced in work, worship, and rejuvenation.
Crafting Your Rule of Life
When designing your Rule of Life, remember that it’s a guide, not a rigid set of rules. It should be flexible and adaptive, able to evolve as your circumstances change and as you grow in faith. Your Rule of Life is ultimately a framework for living in a way that allows Christ’s presence to shape every area of your life. It supports a balanced, Christ-centered life that honors God and fully engages with His purposes for you.
Consider asking these questions as you shape your rule:
Am I making space to know, love, and serve God?
Are my relationships reflective of Christ’s love and grace?
Am I stewarding my body, time, and resources in a way that honors God?
Is my work aligned with my calling and purpose?
Are there habits or patterns that pull me away from what I value most?
By thoughtfully attending to these priorities, you can create a life that is both anchored in Christ and fully responsive to the unique way God has designed you to reflect His love in the world.