After this mornings reading I have spent my working day thinking over the whole idea of a rule or rhythm of life being like a trellis. A trellis is used by a gardener to help a plant to grow. Every example of the same plant looks totally different on the trellis as the plant decides which way to grow. Although they have the same genus each one develops differently according to its context: soil, air, environment. The plant develops accordingly in line with what is around the plant.

Taking that principle we can think of rules of life as being a trellis that allows us to grow in our own way and not a structure that wants to limit us. Without the trellis we would lay on the floor, grow laterally and look a bit of a mess. This means we can follow the rule (Trellis) and express it in our own individual way. They way I do silence or prayer may look totally different to how you do silence and prayer ,,, but we are both following the rule and using silence and prayer.

This following of a rule in my own context has been key to my growth over the last few years. For me personally it’s been a tough decade and I am convinced that my faith would have suffered or been cast aside (or even totally lost!) if I was not already in the practice of following my rule of life. When things could have seriously gone wrong fr my life, the strength of my faith has held me …. actually more than that, it has allowed me to excel again in a new context. Like a phoenix, I have risen from the burnt out ashes and can live again …. but only because of the supporting structure of my rule of life.