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What does it mean to be fully alive?

The foundational premise of Rhythms of Life is there are four key relationships for every human being:

  • Relationship with God
  • Relationships with one another Relationship with ourselves
  • Relationship with creation and the world.

Sadly, you don’t have to look very far to see fractures in these relationships, both in the world and probably in our own life as well. Many people, including followers of Jesus, live splintered lives and are sunken by despair, busyness, or apathy. We do not feel peace, and the idea of abundant life seems like a pipe dream.

Yet in John 10:10, Jesus makes the outrageous claim it is actually possible for us to be fully alive. It is possible to experience all the goodness we were created to experience.

"I came so that everyone would have a life that is full and good." ~ Jesus

This promise of being fully alive must be true all the time, otherwise it’s not true at all. If I can’t be fully alive unless my life is going well, then Jesus’ promise doesn’t amount to much.

This means whether we are on a mountaintop or in the middle of the valley of the shadow of death, whether life is all cupcakes and roses, or we are amid suffering, we can still be fully alive. We must be able to.

Our world is broken, and sin has shattered every one of the four fundamental relationships mentioned above. In offering us the fullness of life, the purpose of Jesus is to restore these relationships into what they were always intended to be.

To be fully alive is to have wellness in our relationship with God, others, ourselves, and the earth. The Hebrew word for this state of wellness is "shalom."

Jesus intends us to flourish, and the journey to flourishing, or shalom, is called spiritual formation.

Spiritual formation is what helps us lean into and live out of the place of healing and shalom Jesus offers. Because of this, spiritual formation is holistic. Spiritual practices (also called spiritual disciplines) are rhythms that help us be well not only spiritually, but also physically, mentally, emotionally, and relationally. There is not one area of life God’s shalom does not touch.

In the Rhythms of Life series of resources, we explore what Jesus says about being fully alive and discover ways we can practice wellness in our life.

The series is divided into three components all of which can be done with a group or individually:

  1. Ruthless Wellness:  An assessment of your current life practices
  2. Rhythms of life:  a 6 session spiritual formation journey
  3. Rule of Life:  A one-day retreat to create a spiritual care plan

Sign up here if you would like more information on how you can be involved.