The Seasonal/Yearly Person

It was a liberating day when I discovered that I lived life to a seasonal/yearly rhythm.

For so long I had struggled to live within the confines (for me, anyway) of a daily box. The spiritual angst I felt from the guilt and defeat of trying to be daily wore me down spiritually. Wouldn't it be like the enemy of our souls to discourage and torment in something considered a spiritual discipline–daily devotions? 

I felt guilty when I missed daily devotions, yet deeply desired an authentic and meaningful relationship with Christ. What a relief when the concept of Life Rhythms shed light on the tension I felt.

Once I realized repetition and routine bog a non-daily person down, it all made sense. The defeat I felt wasn't because I didn't love God or desire to know his Word. It wasn't because I didn't want to spend time in prayer. It was simply because I wasn't daily.

No more condemnation. No more guilt. No more accusation. I am free to connect with God out of my seasonal/yearly rhythm and in this, I find great joy. 

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We like a start and finish to things. Making an indefinite commitment to a service, activity, or responsibility saps the energy out of a seasonal/yearly person. They need to know things are going to change up after so long. No wonder the consistency of daily devotions rob the seasonal/yearly person of their joy. 

Creativity stirs the soul of a seasonal/yearly person. Music, art, writing, and other creative outlets can motivate and draw the seasonal/yearly person closer to God. Times with God will flow in and out of each season, setting the tone for life. Engaging in spiritual practices with flexibility, variety and change will give a seasonal/yearly person a fresh perspective to one’s spiritual walk.

Seasonal people anchor themselves in processing life in blocks of time. This could align with the seasonal changes of the calendar year or in just what's happening in life during a certain timeframe. Unlike the daily rhythm with to-do lists, or the weekly/monthly rhythm with calendars and priorities, the seasonal/yearly rhythm lives in the ebb and flow of life. Where's God moving in this season of life? Processing life in order to determine a theme enables them to focus on what matters most in a particular season or year.

The Weekly/Monthly Person

I am married to a weekly/monthly person. You'll get to know Dennis in Chapter Nine of Unforced Rhythms, "When A Plan Comes Together."

Dennis loves his calendar(s). Believe me, I know. How many times have we sat across from each other, laptops open, looking over the calendar. With frequent travels, it is important to plan, to make sure we're on the same page for future events and engagements, but seasonal gal that I am, it's not long before I begin to let out big sighs, trying to consider life from four to six months out.

Understanding our unique life rhythm has given us more grace for each other. 

Weekly/monthly people might have a calendar on their desktop, on the wall, on their phone, and on their computer. And, they will use all of them. it might even be marked up with different colors for different categories. Rather than a daily to-do list, the weekly/monthly person may have a whiteboard or large post-it notes on their wall prioritizing the details and assignments that will complete the task at hand. My husband uses small post-it notes to create priorities on a large post-it pad. 

Unlike the daily person, no one day will look alike. What matters is that the plan is moving forward. This is often accomplished by teamwork, something highly valued by the weekly/monthly person. And when a plan comes together, the weekly/monthly person has good reason to celebrate.

My husband has been taking a DAWG (Day Along with God) since his 20's. Weekly/monthly people will find their spiritual sustenance includes longer lengths of time with God at less frequent intervals than every day. A full day with God once a month or a half a day every two weeks fills Dennis up for the weeks ahead and carries him until next time. Sundays are often a refresher in the week-to-week schedule.

Weekly/monthly people anchor themselves in the tasks and goals of work and life. They have the capacity to spin several plates at once, embrace spontaneity, and have the ability to keep life well organized. 

Dennis and I are definitely opposite in personality, strengths, and life rhythm, but I'm so glad to be married to this man of mine, even if it means I sometimes have to be a calendar girl. :)

The Daily Person

I admire daily people. They are some of the most disciplined people I know. They love their routine and they stick to it.

They enter their day-to-day routines knowing what they need to do and how to get it done. It’s not unusual for them to create a daily to-do list where they find satisfaction in checking off a completed task.

Daily People . . . 

will be motivated by the steady, consistent beat of each day, and find their greatest effectiveness with clear responsibilities.

It may drive a daily person crazy if they don’t get everything done on their list, because when it’s Wednesday, there are certain things to be done. Though interrupting their plans may be cause for frustration, you can rely on daily people to be consistent and dependable.

A few years ago I met a man who reads through the Bible every year. He’s been doing this for over two decades. That is the discipline of a daily person. Daily devotions, whether morning or evening (or both),  give them strength for each new day. 

Daily people anchor themselves in the routine of life. This is where they live effectively, happily, and purposefully. 

What is Life Rhythm?

It was an eye-opening day when I realized I wasn’t a daily person. I should have known, but I didn’t know there was any other way to do life. Who does? It seems most of the world lives life by a daily schedule, and I had/have a hard time fitting into a daily routine. No wonder I struggled, then, with daily devotions.

When we think in terms of music, rhythm is the strong, regular, repeated pattern of movement or sound.

So, then, Life Rhythm is the strong, regular, repeated pattern by which people do life.

God set day and night in motion with the rising and setting of the sun. But, he also created seasons by the way the earth orbits the sun, and within this daily and seasonal system, man created a calendar by which we measure weeks and months and years.

It was a liberating day...

when I discovered my life rhythm. It wasn’t that I didn’t want or have a close relationship with Christ. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to spend time in his presence, or pray, or read the scriptures.

The spiritual angst I struggled with for so long was simply because I didn’t live life to a daily rhythm. What relief. I found freedom from guilt and self-condemnation, something that had tormented me for years.

There are three categories of Life Rhythm that people tend to live life by: Daily, Weekly/Monthly, and Seasonal/Yearly. I devote a chapter to each rhythm in the book, plus a chapter sharing the stories from ten people who have discovered their life rhythm and how that has impacted their life.

This strong, regular, repeated pattern will be a determining factor in how you engage with God. Whether you’re daily, weekly/monthly, or seasonal/yearly, you’ll celebrate the unique Life Rhythm that you are, and gain a whole new understanding of others.

Welcome to Unforced Rhythms!

Why a book about daily devotions? Can one element of what is deemed an exercise for spiritual growth take up the pages of one entire book?

Yes. Yes, it can.

As Keith Drury writes in the foreword, we have made daily devotions to be a sacrament.  If you’re not growing in your faith, well then, how are you doing at your daily devotions? We don’t ask, “Well, have you taken communion lately?”

One morning over brunch with my friend, Elizabeth, we chatted about this very thing. Sharing with someone about a struggle in life, the response she got was, “How are you doing at your quiet time, your daily time with God?” As if that’s the catchall answer.

Yes, there are those who find daily devotions to be a satisfying and a soul-filling practice, but not everyone fits into the daily mold.

Unforced Rhythms - Why Daily Devotions Aren't for All of Us will give freedom and permission for those, like myself, who for too long struggled with daily devotions.