Rule of Life is a walk with God

By JOE O’SHIELDS
St. John’s Cathedral Parishioner

What produces or enhances peace and joy in my life?  What are my true desires?  Are there ways that I can use the opportunities I have to live at peace, be joyful, and fulfill my desires?

I believe that having an intentional, written rule of life helps me better understand what and where peace and joy are for me, and how I might be and what I might do in order to live filled with peace and joy.

My first experience with a rule of life was a result of attending Cursillo in the late 1970s.  Originally, my rule of life was focused on practices of prayer, reading of scripture, participation in worship, and actions in my world that helped me to better understand how I could grow closer to God, understand what gifts God had given me, and how I might “give back” by acting in a Christ-like way with my family, at work and in the world at large.  Cursillo also encouraged me to meet with a small group of folks so that I could live out my rule of life in community and be accountable to others for whether I was taking my rule of life seriously or not–I am more and more convinced that being in a community via small groups is a necessary part of living and growing as a Christian.

The Cursillo rule of life starts with spiritual practices, and that is good.  After all, I start from the belief that God is real, and desires a relationship with me (and every other person), and makes himself known in myriad ways.  But, God is not confined to church, and is active in family, at work, when I am riding my bike, when I am with friends–God is always present and active.  For that reason, the booklet One Step Closer provided to us by Dean Kate is a wonderful resource for writing a rule of life, whether it is your first time to do so or if you have been living according to a rule for longer than I have.  It invites the reader to consider that our relationships with God and the church, with our bodies, with others and with money are all a significant part of our spiritual lives. All these aspects of life contribute to our peace and joy and to the fulfillment of our true, deep desires.

My experiences with my rule of life have led me to know certain things about me, including at least the following:

My rule of life has not resulted in me being perfect (far from it), or in being better than any other person.  But developing, living by and modifying my rule of life has been an important practice that has helped me develop a vision of how I desire to live. It is a measuring stick I can use to evaluate how I might be, more and more, the person God created me to be.

My rule of life has developed in fits and starts.  Sometimes I have included practices that just weren’t realistic, and consequently I was frustrated and guilty for not being able to abide by the rule of life. For example, starting from no Bible study and resolving to spend an hour a day reading and studying scripture is likely to end up simply being frustrating. Going from to no Bible study to 10 minutes each weekday is more achievable. As time goes by, my rule of life will see additions and deletions.

Just as I “practice” law and “practice” yoga, living according to my rule of life is a “practice.”  It is not a demand for perfection, nor is it intended to produce guilt or frustration–it is a way to peace and joy!

Finally, God will honor my efforts to live according to my rule of life, and God will not give up on me when I fail, become lazy or am disheartened.

Joe O’Shields teaches EFM at St. John’s Cathedral and is a spiritual director.