Routine

Routine

Judy and I  are “sheltered in place” for two weeks. Not that we don’t get out for a walk around the neighborhood or a leisurely drive through town with the windows rolled up. Our kids have been a great help. They make sure we are well stocked with the essentials of groceries and wine. I just received a double shipment of Gummy Bears. Life in confinement doesn’t get any better.

On a more serious note, it has been my experience that in times of trouble, anxiety or fear, routine is a friend. Years ago, when I had a nervous breakdown and in subsequent seasons of stress and uncertainty, routine kept me alive. Being the type A personality, mopping around with no focus is a real killer.

Routine is the repetitive activity that gives purpose to the day. In the past we called it chores; those things that needed to be done in order to maintain mental health and a clutter free life. The discipline that doesn’t allow life to slip through the cracks. For some, routine is a dirty word that speaks boring, tiresome,  monotony and unexciting. For me it’s sanity.

Interestingly, the word routine comes from the French meaning “a travelled way.” A well worn path of getting up and going to bed at a set time,  Bible reading and prayer, household duties, staying in touch with family and friends, a long walk with the dog, a nap, reading a book, watching Amazon Prime with Judy, and eating healthy are components of my daily routine. Opps! I forgot the glass of wine.

Here is an encouragement from God’s Word:

“Exercise daily in God: no spiritual flabbiness, please! Workouts in the gym are useful, but a disciplined life in God is far more so, making you fit both today and forever. You can count on this. Take it to heart.”

Now back to those Gummy Bears.