Daily Rhythm
I actually wrote the following post on the homeward stretch of my trip. But I've thought a lot about it as I have re-entered the round of daily life. This is just the first of some of my thought regarding the rhythm and cadence God has built into the heart of the world.
A howling rush of wind woke us early on Monday morning and soon we heard the steady drum beat of rain on the rooftop and windows. I crept down early, got the fire burning and my candle lit and curled myself into the corner of the couch to savor the somber morning. I’ve been beginning my devotions by reading old Anglican hymns out of a small, brown leather hymn book from a hundred years ago that my Dad gave me for Christmas. It startles me, how quickly my heart responds to the old, formal language.
In this time of personal expression and utter lack of formality, you would think I would find the old, metered words limiting. Instead, I find them almost thrilling in their chorus of expression of who God is. The words have meat to them, the thoughts are hearty, filling food for my soul and I can wrap my thought round them and let them lead me on my way in praise.
I’ve thought quite a bit about order and rhythm these days. Strangely, I’ve found a sense of rhythm on this trip that I’ve been missing for quite awhile. I would have thought that setting off on a wild-eyed adventure would leave order rather in the dust, but I have found instead that she marches quite steadfastly at my side, like a sturdy chum, and her influence is having quite an effect on me.
I suppose I am more aware of order in the world when I travel; I reenter the steady cadence of sunrise and sunset, rising to catch the early light, forced to stop driving when darkness falls. I brought a little book of morning and evening devotions with me that I have managed to use in the sunrises and sunsets of my driving days and they give a marvelous sense of rhythm to my hours.But I sense it most powerfully here in PEI, where I rise with the sun and praise God to the old cadence of those Anglican hymns and then drive out to adventure in this small island of well-ordered beauty. PEI is a small heaven of order; the farms and fields in quilt pattern exactness, the trees marching in even rows of loveliness along the red roads. In the midst of it all, I find my thoughts striding forth a little more steadily, my heart beating more surely with the companionship of all this rhythm. I find that despite the general craziness of life, there’s a heartbeat at the core of it after all.
I think this could change the way I think about my days. More to come.
A howling rush of wind woke us early on Monday morning and soon we heard the steady drum beat of rain on the rooftop and windows. I crept down early, got the fire burning and my candle lit and curled myself into the corner of the couch to savor the somber morning. I’ve been beginning my devotions by reading old Anglican hymns out of a small, brown leather hymn book from a hundred years ago that my Dad gave me for Christmas. It startles me, how quickly my heart responds to the old, formal language.
In this time of personal expression and utter lack of formality, you would think I would find the old, metered words limiting. Instead, I find them almost thrilling in their chorus of expression of who God is. The words have meat to them, the thoughts are hearty, filling food for my soul and I can wrap my thought round them and let them lead me on my way in praise.
I’ve thought quite a bit about order and rhythm these days. Strangely, I’ve found a sense of rhythm on this trip that I’ve been missing for quite awhile. I would have thought that setting off on a wild-eyed adventure would leave order rather in the dust, but I have found instead that she marches quite steadfastly at my side, like a sturdy chum, and her influence is having quite an effect on me.
I suppose I am more aware of order in the world when I travel; I reenter the steady cadence of sunrise and sunset, rising to catch the early light, forced to stop driving when darkness falls. I brought a little book of morning and evening devotions with me that I have managed to use in the sunrises and sunsets of my driving days and they give a marvelous sense of rhythm to my hours.But I sense it most powerfully here in PEI, where I rise with the sun and praise God to the old cadence of those Anglican hymns and then drive out to adventure in this small island of well-ordered beauty. PEI is a small heaven of order; the farms and fields in quilt pattern exactness, the trees marching in even rows of loveliness along the red roads. In the midst of it all, I find my thoughts striding forth a little more steadily, my heart beating more surely with the companionship of all this rhythm. I find that despite the general craziness of life, there’s a heartbeat at the core of it after all.
I think this could change the way I think about my days. More to come.
posted by Sarah at 11:13 AM
1 Comments:
The souls of great thinkers ponder life and beauty and the depth of God to his pleasure regardless of those who never know of the heart's pondering. Investing your soul in such magnificent worship through your mind will lead you closer to God and fill your mind, heart and words with His light. So that even if you think no one is noticing, your harvest of light will reflect the beauty of such work and such minutes regularly spent dwelling and pondering the marvelous. May you become a voice for your generation.
Post a Comment
<< Home