Another component of chapter four has to do with life’s rhythms. McHugh states (correctly in my opinion) that we must ‘learn to listen to each part of our nature (body, soul, mind, emotion) if we are to find balance and peace in our introversion.' And then he kicks into a look at life’s larger rhythms. He looks at the idea of a ‘reflection-action-reflection’ rhythms as working well for an introvert. He shows how God has built this type of rhythm into our lives. Sabbath rest… for example… is a way of expressing this rhythm in a weekly manner. “Sabbath rest enables us to see broader patterns of the Spirit’s work and teaches us not to capitulate to the restless activity of our culture. Sabbath gives us permission to do what our introverted hearts cry out for: to restfully reflect, contemplate, observe, retreat into and marvel at God’s creation.”
Time for self reflection… I realize how important my day off has become for me. I’ve never struggled with taking a day off… what I’ve struggled with is how to make my day off work for me. I feel like I’m getting better at making that day more effective in recharging who I am and using it to gain what I need to move forward with more strength. I remember one day this past October when I went outside to play with Aaron… and I ended up laying on our trampoline… looking up at the clear blue sky… reading a book… and thinking: This is exactly the type of thing I need… enjoying God’s creation… enjoying Aaron… enjoying a book. It was one of those moments when a profound sense of peace flooded over me. I never know when those moments will occur. But it took me being willing to unplug and go outside.
McHugh continues on in this chapter about the smaller rhythms in life. He gives a story about a summer in Mexico that sounds extremely close to the feeling I had on a trip to Nepal. Sensory overload and no time of solitude lead to a hazy fatigued feeling. His first assumption was that he was not cut out for missions… when all he needed was space to recharge.
He also spoke about the importance of sleep… and he spoke about the importance strategically placing intentional moments of recharge throughout the day. I am picking up on this in my own life. I’ve discovered that certain meetings at church absolutely sap my emotional reserves. I call it a ‘meeting hangover.’ I have a hard time sleeping after such meetings… and I just feel restless and listless throughout the rest of the day. After four years of this particular meeting… I just this week came to the realization that I need to handle the day after the meeting much differently than I currently do. I need to set up appointments with people who inspire me. I need to reconnect with my family. If I’m working… I probably need to get offsite for the day and go hole up at a library somewhere. I need to do things that will energize me out of my funk.
McHugh talks at length about a ‘rule of life.’ His definition is helpful: “The rule of life works with the internal and external rhythms we discover as we come to embrace who we are. This is not simply a schedule or a calendar; a rule of life opens us to the awareness of God’s presence, not only in our moments of quiet but in all aspects of our lives.”
In my next post… I’ll summarize what McHugh’s rule of life is and begin to process how that might be applicable to me.
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