Growing a Rule of LifeA rule of life allows us to clarify our deepest values, our most important relationships, our most authentic hopes and dreams, our most meaningful work, our highest priorities. It allows us to live with intention and purpose in the present moment.
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What is a Rule of Life?
A rule of life allows us to clarify our deepest values, our most important relationships, our most authentic hopes and dreams, our most meaningful work, our highest priorities. It allows us to live with intention and purpose in the present moment.
Sometimes when people hear the phrase “rule of life,” they imagine a list of rules which they would be bound to follow. It’s not an inviting image for most of us, and more often leads to ‘death’ rather than ‘life.’ (Have you ever noticed how difficult it is to keep New Year’s resolutions?) But creating a list of rules to follow is not the intention of a rule of life.
The word “rule” derives from a Latin word, regula, which implies not so much a system of rules or laws, but rather a way of regulating and regularizing our lives so that we can stay on the path we have set out for ourselves. A rule is like a trellis which offers support and guidance for a plant, helping it to grow in a certain direction. A rule of life is descriptive in that it articulates our intentions and identifies the ways in which we want to live. And when we fall short of these intentions, the rule becomes prescriptive, showing us how we can return to the path that we have set for ourselves and recapture our original vision. It is not something fixed and rigid, but something which can and should be adapted to our present circumstances and shaped to fit our current needs and desires.
Rules of life grew out of the monastic tradition of the Church and have their origins in the 3rd and 4th centuries, when Christian monastic communities first came into being in the deserts of Egypt.
Even though rules of life were originally developed for communities, they can also be useful for individuals. In a rule of life an individual can put into words those things that he or she values most and can identify ways in which they can be achieved or lived. Arule of life allows us to clarify our deepest values, our most important relationships, our most authentic hopes and dreams, our most meaningful work, our highest priorities. It allows us to live with intention and purpose in the present moment. Sometimes when people hear the phrase “rule of life,” they imagine a list of rules which they would be bound to follow. It’s not an inviting image for most of us, and more often leads to ‘death’ rather than ‘life.’ (Have you ever noticed how difficult it is to keep New Year’s resolutions?) But creating a list of rules to follow is not the intention of a rule of life. The word “rule” derives from a Latin word, regula, which implies not so much a system of rules or laws, but rather a way of regulating and regularizing our lives so that we can stay on the path we have set out for ourselves. A rule is like a trellis which offers support and guidance for a plant, helping it to grow in a certain direction. A rule of life is descriptive in that it articulates our intentions and identifies the ways in which we want to live. And when we fall short of these intentions, the rule becomes prescriptive, showing us how we can return to the path that we have set for ourselves and recapture our original vision. It is not something fixed and rigid, but something which can and should be adapted to our present circumstances and shaped to fit our current needs and desires. Rules of life grew out of the monastic tradition of the Church and have their origins in the 3rd and 4th centuries, when Christian monastic communities first came into being in the deserts of Egypt. Even though rules of life were originally developed for communities, they can also be useful for individuals. In a rule of life an individual can put into words those things that he or she values most and can identify ways in which they can be achieved or lived.
The above is from Living Intentionally A Workbook for Creating a Personal Rule of Life Br. David Vryhof. You can download the entire workbook here at no cost: http://ssje.org/ssje/category/rule-of-life/.
A rule of life allows us to clarify our deepest values, our most important relationships, our most authentic hopes and dreams, our most meaningful work, our highest priorities. It allows us to live with intention and purpose in the present moment.
Sometimes when people hear the phrase “rule of life,” they imagine a list of rules which they would be bound to follow. It’s not an inviting image for most of us, and more often leads to ‘death’ rather than ‘life.’ (Have you ever noticed how difficult it is to keep New Year’s resolutions?) But creating a list of rules to follow is not the intention of a rule of life.
The word “rule” derives from a Latin word, regula, which implies not so much a system of rules or laws, but rather a way of regulating and regularizing our lives so that we can stay on the path we have set out for ourselves. A rule is like a trellis which offers support and guidance for a plant, helping it to grow in a certain direction. A rule of life is descriptive in that it articulates our intentions and identifies the ways in which we want to live. And when we fall short of these intentions, the rule becomes prescriptive, showing us how we can return to the path that we have set for ourselves and recapture our original vision. It is not something fixed and rigid, but something which can and should be adapted to our present circumstances and shaped to fit our current needs and desires.
Rules of life grew out of the monastic tradition of the Church and have their origins in the 3rd and 4th centuries, when Christian monastic communities first came into being in the deserts of Egypt.
Even though rules of life were originally developed for communities, they can also be useful for individuals. In a rule of life an individual can put into words those things that he or she values most and can identify ways in which they can be achieved or lived. Arule of life allows us to clarify our deepest values, our most important relationships, our most authentic hopes and dreams, our most meaningful work, our highest priorities. It allows us to live with intention and purpose in the present moment. Sometimes when people hear the phrase “rule of life,” they imagine a list of rules which they would be bound to follow. It’s not an inviting image for most of us, and more often leads to ‘death’ rather than ‘life.’ (Have you ever noticed how difficult it is to keep New Year’s resolutions?) But creating a list of rules to follow is not the intention of a rule of life. The word “rule” derives from a Latin word, regula, which implies not so much a system of rules or laws, but rather a way of regulating and regularizing our lives so that we can stay on the path we have set out for ourselves. A rule is like a trellis which offers support and guidance for a plant, helping it to grow in a certain direction. A rule of life is descriptive in that it articulates our intentions and identifies the ways in which we want to live. And when we fall short of these intentions, the rule becomes prescriptive, showing us how we can return to the path that we have set for ourselves and recapture our original vision. It is not something fixed and rigid, but something which can and should be adapted to our present circumstances and shaped to fit our current needs and desires. Rules of life grew out of the monastic tradition of the Church and have their origins in the 3rd and 4th centuries, when Christian monastic communities first came into being in the deserts of Egypt. Even though rules of life were originally developed for communities, they can also be useful for individuals. In a rule of life an individual can put into words those things that he or she values most and can identify ways in which they can be achieved or lived.
The above is from Living Intentionally A Workbook for Creating a Personal Rule of Life Br. David Vryhof. You can download the entire workbook here at no cost: http://ssje.org/ssje/category/rule-of-life/.
Lent 2016 the Society of St. John the Evangelist (SSJE) is hosting an online course for Rule of Life. Click here to find out more information (Completely free and downloadable!)
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