Creating a Rule of Life During COVID-19 by Brandan Robertson

These are unexpected and unprecedented times, days that will likely reshape the trajectory of humanity for decades to come. If you’re at all like me, then it’s probably true that in moments like these, where we are forced both into the anxiety of a global crisis as well as the unwanted gift of more time on our own, you might not know where to turn.

Do I spend more time praying? Should I read more books? Should I finally begin meditating or practising yoga? Or should I just relax and turn on Netflix and zone out for a few days. When presented with all of the options of what I could possibly do, I have great aspirations and also have a very hard time channeling my energy to do any of that … well, except for watching Netflix.

If we are to make the most of this season that we’ve all been given, it’s essential that we work to grow our muscle of spiritual discipline. Every sage and spiritual teacher has spoken about the importance of rhythm, routine, and regular spiritual practice, especially in ‘dark nights’ like the one that we face. If we want to turn this interlude in our normal lives into one that will actually help us to become more whole and better oriented when we return to normalcy, then we must develop a Rule of Life, an ancient practice of developing a rhythm, centred on our core values, that helps dictate how we spend our time.

What are the things that you value? For me, I use Jesus’ own three-fold path to describe my values: Love of God – meaning spirituality, Love of Neighbour – meaning justice, and Love of Self – meaning personal health and wellbeing. Every action of my life should flow through one or all of those channels. Thus, in thinking about developing a daily rhythm, I try to intentionally plan space to allow for the flourishing of each of these.

For me, love of God means taking time to meditate and time to write out spiritual reflections. These two paths help reorient my soul towards the Presence of God and enable me to tap into much-needed peace and joy. Love of neighbour means that each day, I take time to reach out to someone – close friends and distant acquaintances – to let them know I am thinking of them and praying for them. And love of self means that each day, I take time to exercise, to walk outside, and to have at least one meaningful social interaction.

By writing out these daily commitments and posting them on a bulletin board in my room, I’ve created a reminder of the things that I believe are most important and a commitment I’ve made to God and to myself to live into each of these values. By creating a rule, committing to it, and scheduling it in my calendar, I am ensuring that each day is lived in alignment with the life I desire to create.

As Andy Raine of the Northumbria Community wrote, ‘For us, the life came before the Rule. We were living, hoping and dreaming these things before they were ever written down. So, we must focus not on the Rule, but on the things, God has put on our heart. The Rule serves to remind us of these things, serves as a check, and calls us back to see if our dreams are still there.’ The Rule of Life becomes not a constricting law that we must obey, but a bumper along the road of life to ensure that we are reminded of what’s most important and of the direction that we desire to traverse. 

This period of social distancing is giving me time to practise this rule and rhythm so that when we return to the fast pace of our regular existence, maybe, just maybe, I will be living a more disciplined and grounded existence. The Hebrew Scriptures talk about finding God’s redemptive hand at work in every circumstance – could this season, as dark as it may be, become the season where we collectively dedicate ourselves to living the lives, we’ve always known we could?

May it be so.

For more information on how to create a Rule of Life, I recommend checking out Sacred Ordinary Days. (https://sacredordinarydays.com/pages/rule-of-life)

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Each day, we will post a short article by one of Darton, Longman and Todd’s amazing authors, offering a personal reflection on our current situation in life. Sometimes this will be written with reference to one of their books, and sometimes about how they are living in response to the coronavirus and our current world situation. We hope it will give you a taste of the depth and diversity of DLT’s list – books for heart, mind and soul that aim to meet the needs and interests of all.

Today’s post is by Brandan Robertson, author of Nomad: A spirituality for travelling light, which you can buy here, and Our Witness: The unheard stories of LGBT+ Christians, here.