I've always been a person who follows the rules...or tries to follow them anyway. Ironically, it turns out there are no prizes for rule followers. Feels like we should get a trophy or something, y'all.
Instead, I've found:
Noone notices people who follow the rules. We're fairly invisible.
The reason that there are so many rules is because there are people who don't care about following the rules or will try to find a way around the rules no matter what. We didn't break it, but now we gotta buy it anyway.
Then there is always the problem of the flawed people making the rules...why exactly is this a rule anyway?
I drove myself literally crazy always trying to follow rules...everyone's rules. But I wasn't following the rules because I appreciated them or understood them or even believed they were necessary, I was doing it because it was easier than thinking, easier than questioning, easier than conflict, easier than the stated consequence of not following them.
Okay. Let me pause and reassure you that I believe rules are a necessary thing. Rules were God's idea after all.
But why did God have to create rules?
Because we, humans, have a difficult time sticking to His rhythm and design. We like to do things our own way according to whatever mood happens to overtake us at the moment. We don't like to wait, and we don't like to ask. We can easily be talked into exploring our own curiosities...like Eve in the Garden. We need rules because we forget that God designed this world according to a specific rhythm. And we only thrive here when we follow His design.
When you buy the latest smart phone, you have to use it according to the way it was designed. You can't expect to push just any button and get the results you want. You can't command the phone to work a certain way. If you want the smart phone to be an effective tool in your life, you have to use it according to the instructions.
It's the same with our lives and our bodies and our minds and our spirits. God designed us to function effectively and has given us everything that we need to do that, but if we don't follow His instructions and live according to that design, we will quickly find our lives full of messy chaos.
This applies to our schedules (God designed a rhythm of work then rest.)
This applies to our daily routines (God designed a rhythm of day then night)
This applies to our seasons (God designed a rhythm of beginnings then endings)
This applies to our committed relationships (God designed a rhythm of marriage then sex)
This applies to so many other situations and circumstances in our lives.
When we don't live according to this design and these rhythms, we eventually get exhausted, burned out, disordered, dysregulated, and sick. I'm convinced that most of our medical issues today result from living outside of God's rhythm and design. Which means that if we re-synchronize ourselves to the Creator's plan, we get healthier and live better.
Now I don't live according to rules as much as I live according to rhythms and design. Rules can be harsh and unyielding. Rhythms are gentle and gradual. Rules are overwhelming. Design is empowering.
Take for instance driving. I could look at the instruction manual for driving as a bunch of rules, or I could see it as a book that's teaching me how the roadways were designed. The road signs are there to remind me of the design. It will go well with me when I follow the design and when I don't, I put my own life at risk along with the others in my car.
In a different way, there aren't any rules really for things like waking and sleeping. There are recommendations galore, but no one has a rule book for what time to go to bed and what time to get up. But if I follow my body's design and rhythm, I will notice that I feel much better when I get adequate sleep. I will go to sleep when my body feels tired at night, instead of cramming more things into my day. I won't berate myself for sleeping in sometimes or for needing a nap in the middle of the day. I will find the rhythm for my body that works to give me the most rest, without any condemnation from unspoken rules.
Looking at life through a lens of rhythm and design may seem like grasping at straws, but it has the ability to change everything about your life. When you no longer focus on the rules, but instead see the rhythm and design that they are protecting, you willingly follow them, appreciating how they improve your experience of life. Considering rhythm and design as you walk through life can be a game changer in your health.
PS. Speaking of game changers, I've created one for you. Check out my course "Resource Your Health, Change Your Life" because it's full of things that you need to know, understand, and use if you want to live a full and meaningful life.
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