Simple Rhythms
Sometimes I miss the simplicity of how I grew up.
We would spend HOURS outside, making who knows what, while my sister and I pretended we were going to be the next gymnastic Olympians to stand on the podium, using the Rice Krispie “medals” you got in the box, as our rewards.
Life was incredibly simple. Incredibly free. And incredibly intentional. Thank you, Mom and Dad!
At what we would’ve called “dinner” back then, we all sat down as a family to take a break from our “work” (my dad as a farmer and my mom as a homemaker), to spend time together. We would end our meal with my dad reading a Psalm to close our time.
As a kid, I was always curious how long the Psalm would be and how long we’d have to wait until we could get outside again. I know, I admit that was wrong of me, to wish that time away.
And yet now as an adult, I couldn’t be more thankful for that time! EVERY dinner time, there we sat, listening to the Bible. My dad, faithfully reading through the book of Psalms as long as I can remember. When we finished? He’d start over again.
And now, those psalms aren’t just something I remember reading as a family, but something I treasure and wonder, why aren’t we still doing this today?
I have heard this quote a few times over the past few years, and it’s by C.T. Studd:
Only one life, ’twill soon be past. Only what’s done for Christ will last.
That’s what my parents taught me growing up. It wasn’t just in words, but in their actions. This life is short, but keeping Christ at the center, is what will last. And I look at my childhood, and things like reading the Psalms at the noon hour, are the memories I still carry with me to this day.
So can’t help but ask myself, how does my life reflect living for the eternal? How does my life shine a light on the gospel versus earthly pleasures and desires? What type of “gospel” does my life preach? One of comfort, pleasures, and possessions? Or of eternal life with Christ – a life in Him that will never fade away?
The simple rhythms we choose to do on a daily basis may seem mundane, busy, or not seem like they have much worth. But maybe in the simple decisions we make, we are making an eternal difference. The simple act of reading the Psalms every noon, has still stuck with me and I want to choose things in our home, that may seem mundane, but Lord-willing, will make an eternal difference in our home.
So let me ask…
What simple rhythms are established in your home, that reflect a life lived for Him? What is being done for Christ, that is making an eternal difference?
