Something that often comes up in the world of Spiritual Formation is something that some scholars believe can be traced back as far as the 2nd century, and something that St. Benedict popularized – it is something called, “Rule of Life.”

A Trellis For Our Lives

This ancient idea of Rule of Life can often create initial resistance in the mind of the hearer – because when we hear the word “rule,” we often think “rules.” We think of it as ‘right and wrong,’ and something that if you break it, there are consequences. However, in this idea’s original intent and form, a Rule of Life is more like a trellis in a garden that promotes the growth of a plant.

This image of a trellis is fitting, because the idea of a garden is a metaphor that Jesus used to talk about our life in Him.

John 15:1-15, 26-27 (First Nations Version)

¹“I am the true grapevine. My Father is the Vine Keeper. ²He cuts off the branches in me that have no fruit. He carefully trims back the branches with fruit, so they will grow more fruit.

³“My teachings have purified you, ⁴but you must stay joined to me in the same way a branch is joined to the vine. A branch cannot grow fruit unless it is joined to the vine. It is the same with you and me.

⁵“I am the vine and you are the branches. The ones who stay joined to me will grow much fruit, for without me nothing grows. ⁶The ones who do not stay joined to me are broken off and dry up, and then they are gathered up and used to make a fire.

⁷“If you are joined to me and my words remain in you, you can ask me for anything and it will be done. ⁸When you grow a harvest of fruit, this will show that you are walking my road. You will then bring great honor to my Father.

⁹“In the same way the Father loves me, I have loved you. Never stop walking this road of love. ¹⁰By doing what the Father has told me, I have remained in his love. ¹¹As you walk in my ways, my love will remain in you. I am saying this so your hearts will be filled with the same joy I have.

¹²“To walk the road with me, you must love each other in the same way I have loved you. ¹³There is no greater way to show love to friends than to die in their place. ¹⁴You are my friends if you walk in my ways and do what I say. ¹⁵I no longer see you as my servants but as friends. Masters do not share their hearts and plans with their servants, but I have shown you everything I have heard from my Father.

Jesus went on to talk about how people in the systems of the world would despise and hate them, as they had hated Him – but for His followers to not lose heart.

²⁶“I am sending you the Spirit of Truth, the one who is coming from the Father. He will walk close by your side, representing me, and telling the truth about me. ²⁷You will also represent me as truth tellers, for you have walked with me from the first and have seen these things with your own eyes.

A question that many who have been serious about following in the way of Jesus have asked down through the centuries is the question:

How do we abide in Jesus, in every aspect of our lives?

Rule of Life

The answer for many early Christians was a Rule of Life. Rule of Life is not about goal setting or making a New Years Resolution, rather it is about creating structures in our lives intended to support our journey of becoming who the Creator has made us to be. Within that structure, we are thoughtfully able to utilize Spiritual Disciplines to be attentive and intentional in how we order our lives, unto experiencing the Lord’s Immanuel Presence throughout our days. The good news is that we do not do this alone and in our own power. He has sent us the Spirit of Truth (vs. 26), the Helper, His indwelling presence, the Holy Spirit. So then, our Rule of Life can become a trellis for us to walk by the Spirit to see the fruit of the Spirit bud and blossom in our lives (Galatians 5:22-23).

In the next upcoming posts, I’ll be looking at practical applications about what I’ve learned and how I’ve been learning to create a helpful trellis in my life of being a branch connected to Jesus as the vine. I’ll include references that have been helpful for me along the way. I’ll be looking  at the typical areas that are included in a Rule of Life – those are:

• Relationship with God
• Relationship with others
• Personal Life/Health (including our relationship with technology)
• Covenant Community/Church
• Work/Vocation

As we begin this journey, I want to share this quote attributed to St. Clare of Assisi:

“We become what we love and who we love shapes what we become. If we love things, we become a thing. If we love nothing, we become nothing. Imitation is not a literal mimicking of Christ, rather it means becoming the image of the beloved, an image disclosed through transformation. This means we are to become vessels of God’s compassionate love for others.” ― St. Clare of Assisi

This is a journey of putting our First Love (Jesus) in first place.

REFERENCES

Practicing the Way: Rule of Life Workbook
John Mark Comer Podcast: Developing a Rule of Life | Unhurring with a Rule of Life E2
Renovare: Steve Macchia – An Invitation to a Well-Ordered Way