Finding Rhythm

A song well played has a steady rhythm, consistent, well timed. The tempo changes, it brings interest, but there is continuity.

Routines don’t just build walls, they bring rhythm to an otherwise off-beat, listless day. Wandering through the day no longer works for me. I crave rhythm, tempo, beat.

I am writing a smooth, steady, Well-Functioning rhythm for our household. The composition is incomplete, rough, but the melody already sings sweet above the tympany and the snare. I feel it. Beat, beat, beat.

Symphonies aren’t written overnight. It takes time. Thought. Intention. Creativity. Determination. Endurance. Follow Through. Inspiration. A song is written note by note, stanza by stanza. I can no differently create order in my home in one day than can I write a symphony in one sitting.

Time.

A good beat requires good habits. Habits are built over time. Time and time and time again of doing the same thing consistently. As we add habits, rhythm, to our day, we must do them today, and tomorrow, and the next day and the next.

Thought.

A beautiful piece of music has harmonies and melodies that are working separately but together. It takes thought to put those in place, in the right place, to add beauty. Habits cannot be added thoughtlessly to our day. The habits we add must aid us in working separately, but together for one purpose.

Creativity.

The age old saying, if you keep trying the same things, you’ll keep getting the same results. If you’re not getting the results you need, you need to try something new. When our children are younger we will need to creatively weave their routines into the routines of the day. As they grow, routines, like key changes, will change and grow as well.

Determination.

A pen and paper sitting on a table no more writes it own routine than a written routine makes you get things done. YOU are the composer, not the schedule, not the children.. You write the sheet music, you must make the routine happen, make the rhythm come. Commit to getting it done, and do it.

Endurance.

We must not give up, no matter how hard it is to fit the beats and the melodies and the harmonies together. If we don’t do it, who will? Endurance requires training, involves failing and getting back up and going at it again. Endurance is something gained over time, as we thoughtfully pursue our goals with determination.

Follow-Through.

To the end. To what end? To the end that we have achieved our goals, the to the end that we have taught our children the melody of order and routine and habit, to the end that we all hum the same tune effortlessly because we have memorized it through practice and practice and practice. To the end that our children will carry the music with them when they leave home and go out on their own.

Inspiration.

Last and perhaps most important.. we cannot do this on our own, in our own strength. We do not have the endurance to run the race at the same tempo forever in our frail human will. We must be inspired, filled with the Holy Spirit, filled with the Love of Christ, the strength that comes from knowing God. We must be filled with it. Filled by His word, by knowing Him.

We have begun writing. The rhythm is being hammered out and our day is beginning to take shape with a more often than not consistent beat. The steady rhythm is comforting, the beat is relaxing and refreshing. We’ve added in a little bit of melody in the morning and some harmony at bedtime. I keep writing the sheet music, and as the pieces are added, I eagerly look forward to the music I have so long craved.

I have tried so many times in the past. I have failed. This time,.. this time there is perspective. This time there is determination and inspiration. This time feels ever so much more promising and right. God is a God of order and I pray that He makes me a creature of order and rhythm as well.

Photo Credit: Some rights reserved by Tiberiu Ana