^{Billie's Corner}

January 2011
New Year's Resolutions

February 2011
Multi-tasking

March 2011
St. Alban's Community

April 2011
God Enjoys Giving Us A Rest

May 2011
Resurrection

June 2011
Summer Time

The Very Reverend Billie Abraham, Rector

New Year's Resolutions
January 2001

The new year is here. It is frequently associated with New Year's Resolutions. My history of making and keeping any New Year's Resolution is what you would expect. I make the resolutions full of commitment. I abandon the resolutions full of excuses. I have never put enough time and effort into keeping the resolutions for them to become a way of life.

One of my annual New Year's Resolution was always the same, I was going on a diet and exercise so that I could loss 20 pounds. I could envision myself 20 pounds thinner. My vision was all that materialized. I negotiated with myself during the month of January. I'll start my diet and exercise regiment on Monday . . . on the next Monday . . . on the next Monday. Until the month ran out and so did all my resolution.

So what is the difference between a New Year's Resolution and a Rule of Life? First the of all, the motive is different. The motive for establishing a Rule of Life is rooted in our longing for a more committed life with God. We are all God hungry. Our response to our hunger begins with becoming aware of it. Once aware, we feed our hunger with our attention and intention. Our hunger, our attention, and our intention are all infused with God's grace. The Psalmist says it so well, "As the deer longs for the water-brooks, so my soul for you, O God." ( Psalm 42:1)

My introduction to a Rule of Life came in a conversation I had with Sister Elizabeth, a member of the Community of Saint Mary in Sewanee, Tennessee. I had read about a Rule of Life. I knew in my heart I wanted to establish a Rule of Life, but my experience with New Year's resolutions discouraged me. I was aware that my lack of self-discipline and my poor time management were going to be big stumbling blocks toward keeping a Rule of Life.

Sister Elizabeth laughed as I described my dilemma. She explained that I didn't have a corner on the market when it came to lack of self-discipline and poor time management. The good news is that a Rule of Life is a mindset shift. A Rule of Life offers freedom to life. A Rule of Life offers rhythms of worship, spiritual discipline, prayer, work, play, rest, community and solitude. Instead of floundering through life longing for more God, pay attention and give intention to daily routines.

One of my favorite authors is Barbara Crafton. Her thoughts about a Rule of Life:
"My flesh is weak and my spirit doesn't seem too enthusiastic either. But, that 's the fine thing about a Rule of Life: It doesn't depend on your feelings. You never ask yourself what you feel like doing. You just do it. That way, it gets done . . . My rule sets me free . . . It provides me a place in which to allow the delight of these tasks to transform me . . . Even if I don't want to say Morning Prayer, I feel its blessing before I'm halfway through the first psalm. My rule teaches me to expect delight from the good things I have included in my rule."

The Saint Alban's community has a Rule of Life: We aspire to: worship weekly, pray daily, learn constantly, serve joyfully, live generously. What is required of us? Simply to pay attention and give intention to these patterns that already exist in our lives. In so doing, the ordinary becomes the extraordinary, and we too can expect delight in these simple tasks.

Coming soon to our community will be magnets on which our Rule of Life will be printed. A necessity for a Rule of Life to transform us is to pay attention and give intention. Perhaps having the Saint Alban's Rule of Life posted on our refrigerator doors will be a reminder to feed our hunger for God and make space for the delight of God. What will happen to us? Our daily lives will be transformed!

Happy New Year!

In peace,
Billie+