Our second or third week in Beijing, we took an adoration inventory to determine in what manner we most easily adore Him. To a bit of my surprise, mine was traditional: and a big part of that is rhythm. As we discussed what this means, I discovered that I have a strong need for regular rhythms in my life to keep me well in touch with Him.
But that's difficult in China, because my rhythms are so off here. It seems that all of my routines are changed. Here are a few examples, both trivial and profound:
1. Laundry. The sun hits my clothes-drying balcony from 6:30 am to about 11:30 am, so if I want sun-dried clothes, I better pop in a load the minute I wake up, and get it hung as soon as it finishes, so that the clothes dry optimally. I also need to do laundry at least once every five days, as opposed to every week and a half or two weeks, because my washer is so small and my clothesline space such that it won't accommodate more than about five days worth of clothes!
2. Talk time. Being 12 hours different means if I want to catch people at home I need to call in the morning for me. It's a bit weird to wake up have breakfast and then immediately talk to people, rather than in the evening, but I am adapting. This also means I can't talk (or not for very long) on mornings I have class.
3. Empty afternoons. Because family and friends are sleeping, laundry is done, and class is over or on break, I have a lot of down time in the afternoons. This is so nice, because I can plan lessons well, go make copies, and spend extra time with Him. I don't have a lot of energy in the afternoons, but I've started to recognize that afternoons are "my" time as most evenings I have commitments of some sort, and also evenings work better for meeting with students.
4. Sabbath time? For the last 12 years, I've taken Sunday as a day of rest fairly seriously. But here it doesn't work out that way. The trip to the university across town to meet with fellow ELIC people to talk to Him, sing, and listen to a message of truth is important but a bit arduous and not at all conducive to rest. By the time we finally get home, it's often too late for a relaxed Sunday afternoon nap, much less a lot of quality time with Him and then a nice nap, which was always how I celebrated day of rest for the last 12 years. So I'm learning to pick a different day of the week as a designated Sabbath, spending extra time in the Word, listening to a message and some good Uplifting music, and taking a nap, and considering my Sunday trip as an added bonus to what ends up being a Saturday. Last week my day of rest was Friday, this week it may be Saturday. It requires a bit more flexibility.
5. My time is not my own. I recognize that I am here to build relationships, and to a greater degree than ever before that means I can't control my own time as much. I need to be more available for people, and not focus on having "me" time as much. It means dying to my own need for "me" time. Of course, he supplies the "me" time necessary, but that's a right I've had to give up. This especially means sometimes I need to let go of what is MY idea of a fun relaxing time to do something a bit different that I may not initially consider quite so "fun" in order to spend time investing in relationship. Of course, He always makes it end up being more fun than I thought!!
So there you have it: some of the rhythms I've had to let go of, and change. Please be thinking of me that I can settle into new rhythms that truly please Him and keep my soul well-watered!
