What guides your life? Do you have a plan? My suspicion is that most people haven’t thought about a plan for their lives. Instead many of have vague thoughts about working till quitting time, or working for the weekend, or making it to retirement. Perhaps when children come along, we devote our lives to them. Perhaps we focus on loving our spouses. We might also have some desires to volunteer or serve in our churches or communities.
When New Year’s comes along, like it did earlier this week, we might think of resolutions and desire to lose a few pounds, save more money, pay off debt, exercise more, or have less screen time. I deleted a phone game and Instagram from my phone on New Year’s Day. I was wasting far too much time playing the phone game and scrolling through Reels on Instagram. This year I want to read more and turn my dissertation into a book.
While the various ideas I’ve listed for life goals or New Year’s resolutions are good, what I’d like to suggest is that the reality of our future mortality, as we’ve learned this week in Psalm 39, encourages us to go beyond resolutions or vague goals. Instead, we should craft a rule of life. A rule of life? More on that in just a moment.
We began this series of posts on Psalm 39 by talking about evaluation (see post here). One of the ways the psalmist invites us to evaluate our lives is by asking, “Why are we fearful?” Is it because of wicked deceptions around us? Is our hope and our focus on God and his ways and the redemption only he can bring?
In Psalm 39, the psalmist concludes in verses 16-20,
“Do not be overawed when others grow rich, when the splendor of their houses increases; for they will take nothing with them when they die, their splendor will not descend with them. Though while they live they count themselves blessed— and people praise you when you prosper— they will join those who have gone before them, who will never again see the light of life. People who have wealth but lack understanding are like the beasts that perish.”
Because of the fleeting life we live, pursue understanding, the psalmist says. How do we do that? Talk with someone who can help you evaluate which way your heart, your mind, your desires lean. Are those essential deep parts of your life leaning toward God, toward his redemption, toward his mission, or are you leaning towards other and comparing, being fearful, being deceived? We need loving, gracious help to answer those questions. We need evaluation and accountability from those we trust, who know and love God.
There is an ancient tradition called a Rule of Life. When you create a Rule of Life, you are creating a biblical guide for yourself. You’re making goals and setting pathways for how you want to live.
There are tools online (for example, here and here) as well as physical workbooks you can purchase to help you create a rule of life. I used this one in a doctoral class, and I found it very helpful. The idea is that, as disciples of Jesus, we want to create guidelines, habits, practices, so that in every area of our lives, we are following his ways. Intellectually, relationally, physically, medically, financially, in our jobs, in our families, in our friendships, in our churches. Because God’s ways are good. They will be for our benefit and they will be for the benefit of helping us love our neighbors who God says we should love.
The heart behind a rule of life is trust in God. You trust in him, so you want to live a life that shows clearly that you trust in him in as many areas of your life as possible.
We won’t do this perfectly. But the hope is that each year we evaluate, we change, and we grow, in new areas and new ways.
Photo by Nick Morrison on Unsplash
Engaging Scripture 