525,600 Minutes

12 months, 365 days, 8,760 hours, 525,600 minutes… There are so many ways to describe 1 full trip around the sun. And yet, it rarely feels like there is enough time to get everything on our list done. Many of us get to the end of the day or even the end of a year feeling more tired and worn out than we did the one before. There isn’t enough sleep to be had and let’s be honest, there isn’t enough caffeine that could be consumed to make us feel at rest or in sync. And the truth is, we often feel like the one musician who can’t seem to find the rhythm of the rest of the band. So what’s the secret? How do we find a rhythm that brings rest, not only to our physical being but to our souls?

For that we need to look to the life of Jesus Christ. In the gospel according to John, Jesus gives us a beautiful metaphor for being in sync with not only God, but with the rest of creation. John writes down Jesus’ words to remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing (John 15:4-5 NIV). The rhythm that Jesus expresses in one that is connected to God. We may be out of sync throughout any given season of life because we haven’t built in specific time to connect with Jesus. Jesus created a rhythm of connection with God the Father. Nine times within the gospel of Mark we find Jesus beginning a day going off on his own to pray and meditate with God. To be connected and refreshed. Can we say the same about ourselves?

We have this one life to live to be disciples that make disciples. Every one of our days matters. Every year counts for the kingdom. But we can’t hope to be effective for God if we are out of sync with Him. As disciples, we need to find a healthy rhythm of life. What will yours be? What will you do with the next 525,600 minutes?