Rhythm, a steady beat, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, at times even irregular. But always ordered. Maybe not to the casual onlooker. But to the one who listens, who looks beyond the elementary obvious, there it is. Unmistakable, undeniable, solid, strong, defining.
Routine . . a tempting substitute. I hear its siren song, promising control, security, peace? Promising what it can’t deliver. Like notes that need a score, routine must listen for, hear, and attend to rhythm.
God, may Your rhythm motivate, regulate, invigorate my routine. May Your heartbeat, Your will, Your sovereign hand be my rhythm.
This is beautiful. The metaphor is fantastic and the style is borderline poetry.
Not to mention the point of the piece. I've never considered that before. The idea that we are to live life by a rhythm but not routine. The idea that finding and living according to God's rhythm has a subtle but important distinction from finding a routine that seems to work. Functioning by a rhythm allows you to live consistently and with less opportunity for panic, looking and listening carefully to God's cues so that you know what to do next, trying to hear his rhythm and follow it so that you can live in tune with his order for you. However, falling into a routine where you stop thinking about your life and the things you do and the reason you do them, and just start doing takes the joy and wonder out of life, even if it feels more secure at first. (That's what I understand from it anyway)
You should expand on this. Specifically defining both rhythm and routine, and detailing the distinction between them.
btw this one and Weed Whacker remind me a LOT of Daniel's writing 🙂