Rhythm is part of our everyday lives:  day and night, ocean tides, the changing seasons, work and rest, and even the beating of our hearts.  Why do we so often ignore the rhythms of life?  In our 24/7 digital world in can be easy to stay constantly plugged in but we do so to our peril.  As the author of Ecclesiastes noted, “There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven” (3:1) – there is a time to work and a time to rest.

The importance of living in rhythm is especially important when training for a race.  The best training is not accomplished by steadily adding mileage to your training runs each day but rather developing an ebb and flow to your training.  When I’m training for a long distance race I will have a hard training day followed by an easy day.  I incorporate cross training and taper my mileage before the big race.

This is true not only in the physical realm but also in the mental, emotional, and spiritual areas of our lives.  I have discovered that after 90 minutes of intense mental work it’s beneficial for me to take a break and engage in some physical activity and then I’m ready to get back to the mental work. You must realize that your energy diminishes with both over use and under use and you must find the appropriate energy expenditure and energy renewal to enable you function at your best.

One helpful exercise is for each of the four areas (physical, mental, emotional, spiritual) to identify what drains you and what refreshes you.  As you look at your calendar be mindful of those events and compensate accordingly.  You may not have a choice concerning some of those events in life that drain you – but you can make a choice to do those events that replenish you.

Matthew Kelly in The Rhythm of Life observes, “God does not want to control you, or stifle you, or manipulate you, or force you to do anything you don’t want to do.  Quite the opposite.  God will let you do whatever you want to do, whenever you want to do it, with whomever you want to do it, and as often as you want to do it. When was the last time God stopped you from doing anything?”  Who is responsible for replenishing your energy – you are!  What is one act you can do today to bring refreshment to your life?

Dr. Rick Higgins
Professor of Discipleship, Columbia International University