Principle 7: Go the Next Step to Develop a "Rule of Life"

Go the Next Step to Develop a "Rule of Life"
February 28, 2021

There are a lot of crazy rules out there.

In the state of Connecticut: Pickles must bounce. You are not allowed to sell a pickle unless it bounces. I guess it’s good they also have a 5-second rule there.

In Juneau, Alaska, flamingo owners are prohibited from bringing their pet into a barber shop. I didn’t know flamingos needed haircuts. And really, how many flamingos are there in Juneau, Alaska, anyway?

In South Dakota, it is illegal to fall asleep in a cheese factory. Now, I can see a rule about not cutting the cheese in a cheese factory. But who falls asleep in a cheese factory?

In New Hampshire it is forbidden to collect seaweed from the beach at night. If you want sushi for a midnight snack, well…you shoulda thought about that before the sun went down.

I’m sure there are stories behind each of these odd ordinances, but still…it begs the question, why do we need rules?

Think back to your days in grade school. When the teacher asked a question, what did you do if you wanted to give an answer? Anybody? Ah, yes…I see that hand back there! That’s right! You raised your hand! That happened because most likely your teacher had established a rule about raising hands before speaking in class in order to accommodate effective learning. Because if everyone just talked when they felt like it, not a lot of learning would get done.

Rules exist to help bring order out of chaos. They provide a framework for behavior that helps make it possible for people to thrive.

As we wrap up our Emotionally Healthy Spirituality series this Sunday, we’ll be digging into the concept of developing a personal “rule of life.” Now some of you love rules, so for you, this sounds awesome. But, you rebels out there aren’t quite as excited. But again, rules provide a framework that help us to thrive. The goal here is to add a tool to our skill set that will equip us to grow toward greater emotional and spiritual health. And that’s been our goal all along; becoming healthier, both emotionally and spiritually. Because you can’t be spiritually healthy, if you’re not emotionally healthy.