Finding Rhythm

Reflecting back on day 9 of lent I remember the sense of achievement I felt in completing the ride from my parents house in the valley of Ironbank, to the top of Mt. Lofty. I certainly had my doubts at the beginning of the journey however as riding a bike up some of these hills can be quite unforgiving on the body, particularly now that I’m 15 years older than when I used to do this.

I followed the roads that round up through Stirling and Crafers to get there. Along the way I began to notice a different in my attitude compared to when I was younger. For me everything used to be a competition, not only was the goal to get to the top of the mountain, but I had to do it in record time. I would almost kill myself doing it too. My body would yell and scream at me with all it had to tell me to slow down, take it easy, I was pushing beyond my limits.

This time was different, there was more of a sense of adventure about it, sure it was hard, but it didn’t seem to be so much a competition anymore, I had nothing to prove to myself. As I climbed that steep long stretch from Crafers to Mt. Lofty I found that I had found my rhythm in the ride, I was pacing myself in such a way that it didn’t seem so hard anymore. Sure there were times when I had to stop so I did. The fact that I was in pain ranked higher than pride on my priority list now.

Reaching the top was breath taking. Even though I worked at the restaurant there for 2 years day in and day out, I still had an appreciation for this early morning view that stretched out over Adelaide, across the sea and to the Peninsula on the other side.

How often is it that we want to rush through life to the next goal in sight? I realized that I can have a habit of doing this all too often. Not often enough to I stop in the journey to appreciate my surroundings, or pause for long enough to enjoy the view. Yet finding a particular rhythm in life allows us not only to appreciate what’s around us but also to find ourselves.

It’s times like this I reflect back on my days in village life in Vanuatu and I remember the phrase we coined and integrated into our life, ‘stap nomo’. Or in the English translation, ‘just be, nothing more’. Part of a Psalm I dwelt with the first time I went to Vanuatu was from Psalm 46, “Be still, and know that I am God”. May you find the rhythm in your life that helps you be still for long enough to know God.

Shalom
Mark