Rhythm Is the Answer to Our Chaotic Lives, Not Balance

1.) Rhythm creates ORDER. Balance creates CHAOS.

God’s nature is one of order. So, wherever chaos is present, sin has marred God’s intended design. Every piece of creation has a unique rhythm. Oceans have tides. High. Low. They are consistent. They aren’t rushed. They always come. Always.

Seasons have rhythm. The death and cold of winter give birth to the life and warmth of spring. The seasons occur at the same time every year.

Days have rhythm. Light breaks through the darkness, signaling the coming of a new day.

The human body has rhythm. Our hearts beat in a consistent, rhymic manner, pumping life through our bodies.

Everything God created has rhythm. It is the way of God. Where rhythm is absent, chaos is present. What if we restored the natural way of life God designed for his creation? It might restore order to our lives.

2.) Rhythm manages ENERGY. Balance manages TIME. 

“I wish I had more time. There aren’t enough hours in the day.” If we are honest, we know this to be true: The answer to our chaotic lives isn’t more time. If we had more hours, we would just waste more time.

Here’s the thing about time: It’s fair to everyone. Every person gets 24 hours. No more. No less. So, the answer to life isn’t to manage something that is constant.

So, what do we manage? Energy. A life of rhythm does this. It prioritizes life so that energy is maximized, not time. And this is a game-changer because energy is variable. And powerful. It can be harnessed and controlled.

Those who change the world know how to focus their energy. This means sleep is important. Disconnecting from the busyness is essential. Sabbath. Prayer. Meditation. Diet.

Balance is destroying our lives because it tells us to manage a constant. Rhythm, however, produces a meaningful life because it manages a variable.

3.) Rhythm integrates all of our NEEDS. Balance integrates all of our TASKS.

A balanced life says there are tasks in the day, and the completion of those tasks indicates a balanced life. Rhythm says something different. A life of rhythm focuses on our needs. In his book The Life of Rhythm, Matthew Kelly says our needs fall into four categories: physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual.

No matter how “productive” our life appears, if we abandon our needs, we aren’t accomplishing much of anything. In a busy, task-oriented world, this message needs to be heard. A life that gives priority to those areas that deserve priority (God, family, self and others) is a life that oozes with excellence, creativity and passion.

There is more to our existence than checking boxes on a to-do list, chasing the next promotion and accumulating a large bank account. God created us for something better.

4.) Rhythm builds STRENGTH. Balance builds TIMIDITY.

Think about the rhythm of the ocean. It is impossible to hold the ocean back or alter its rhythm. The ocean has a quiet strength, an unmatched strength. This strength isn’t always visible. But it’s always present.

The world has a common misconception about strength. It defines strength in terms of size, physicality and external power. But God shows us a different way. Jesus models strength that is rooted in self-control and resistance. His strength was impossible to hold back or defeat.

A life of rhythm is the life of Jesus. It isn’t dependent upon external forces. It isn’t swayed by perceptions or expectations. It is consistent. It is controlled. And although this strength might not be visible to the world, over time it changes the world. Because it isn’t dependent on the world.

5.) Rhythm is built on EFFICIENCY. Balance is built on BUSYNESS.

“How are you doing, Frank?”

“Man, I am busy. How are you?”