Healthy rhythms of renewal allow us to withdraw and return.
Mark Sayers uses the categories of withdraw and return to describe Jesus’ healthy rhythms of renewal. He often withdrew to lonely places to pray (Lk. 5:16). His disciples would often be unable to find him because he would withdraw on his own. Yet, he would always return to actively participate in ministry—teaching, loving, caring for people. These rhythms of renewal can include vacations, but they are deeper than that. Think of them more as spiritual retreats.
Think of these rhythms as daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly rhythms that help you stay connected to your true self, to God, and to others.
Example:
Daily: Devotions/Private Worship Pause Prayer Exercise
Weekly: Sabbath Fasting Community Worship
Monthly: 4-8 hour Retreat Service Project Hospitality Courses
Yearly: Vacation Spiritual Retreat
To Get Started
- Examine your history of practicing healthy rhythms of renewal. Do you see any trends that have led to spiritual growth?
- Are your times of rest physically and spiritually renewing? When you return from vacation do you feel spiritually renewed as well as physically? When you return from a spiritual retreat do you feel physically renewed? Both are necessary in our annual rhythms.
- Do you feel like you are using your gifts, talents and abilities to their full capacity for the kingdom of God?
- If you don’t feel like you are resting often enough (withdrawing):
- Plan out 1 vacation to be renewed physically.
- Plan out 1 spiritual retreat to be renewed spiritually.
- If you don’t feel like you’re doing enough ministry (returning):
- Ask God to show you what he is doing around you and how he would like you to participate.
- Continue praying fervently until God shows you something.
*these 2 can be in the same retreat of course.
