Even as a child I made New Year’s resolutions. Each year I committed myself to meet goals and follow plans for the coming year. My resolutions were not necessarily the most effective ways for me to learn, grow, or change my behavior. The resolutions I chose were grounded in my deep belief I could put my values into practice.
Over time I could see that each year’s resolutions fit into familiar categories. The end of a year, and the beginning of another, can be a convenient time to assess things.
The monks I know do not really make New Year’s resolutions. They have committed themselves to principles with a longer term than each month or each year.
Benedictine monks develop what is called a Rule of Life. A rule of life is different from New Year’s resolutions in several ways.
A rule of life is not a list of things we would like to achieve through will power and determination. Our focus is more on the underlying reasons for each aspect of a rule of life than on our rigid adherence.
Monastic rules of life are not intended to force us into acknowledging how powerless we are to change. Each practice in a rule of life is designed to feed us, help us grow, and give us fresh life.
Rules of life are not to-do lists or ways to make us feel guilty. A rule of life is a description of the practices we follow each day to grow balanced and healthy.
Rules of life are more like stepping stones than like walls.
What do you hope to resolve in life this coming year? How are these resolutions steps toward the rest of your life?
Where would you like your life to lead beyond the coming year?
[Image by mt 23]
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