If you took a moment to step back and think hard about the past seasons of your life, I bet you’d see a common trend. You’d probably notice what I’ve noticed about each season of my life. In either good times or bad times each season had a unique rhythm.
When I was deep in my addiction, my rhythm looked like this.
Get up, get sick, use all morning, chase drugs all afternoon, use all night. Repeat.
Get up, get sick, use all morning, chase drugs all afternoon, use all night. Repeat.
This rhythm was as tight as the Thunder drummers outside Chesapeake arena before a playoff game. It was perfectly in sync. It was also devastating to my life and anyone that loved me. But this rhythm didn’t start out like a Tommy Lee drum solo. No! It started with a few random “beats” here and there… a handful of small choices
- Take a pill here and there, lie to a few people, cover my tracks, manipulate a friend or family member, call in sick to work, not show up to committed events, burn some bridges, take more pills, try this, try that.
These “beats” were the building blocks to the rhythm that ruined my life.
Thank GOD I was rescued from this rhythm on April 6th 2011! It was on this day that my rhythm was wrecked. And you can’t find a new rhythm until the old one is interrupted.
Since that day, I’ve found a new rhythm. The rhythm of recovery. This rhythm has brought about incredible change and breakthroughs in my life. But unfortunatly over the past few months I’ve allowed outside fears, threats and distractions to interrupt my new found rhythm.
I know that I am not alone in this confession. I know many of you reading this would agree that life has interrupted your rhythm and caused you to get off beat. The sad thing is, it only takes a few small choices to lose the steady positive tempo our lives need to thrive.
Today, I am challenging myself and all my readers to find a new rhythm or to re-establish a past positive rhythm. Our lives desperately need a confident cadence to walk to. We need a tempo to dance to, a routine to follow and regular accountability to help guide us through the ups and downs of life.
For me, re-establishing a rhythm of recovery means my life can have meaning again. Because when I’m out of rhythm, I’m focused entirely on myself and that’s not healthy. God doesn’t work through selfish people. God works through people who are surrendered completely to His will, His ways & His rhythms.
Today, my prayer is that his post would wreck the negative rhythms in your life and challenge you to begin a new beat. I pray you start a fresh rhythm and that this rhythm brings about a mighty breakthrough in your life.
Application:
What do you need to do to start a new rhythm in your life? What do you need to stop? Start? Who can you share this with to ensure accountability in your life?