Carrie Baker – The Growth Collective

That first week back into normal life after being on summer break or out of routine – can feel like swimming against the tide and a lot of hard work! 

Whether you are getting back into the swing of good routines, daily practises or just normal rhythms, it can feel like you’re starting over.

Whether that’s you right now, or at some point earlier in the year – you know how it feels to leave the slower pace of holiday vibes and suddenly have to hit the ground running. 

These moments of transition between rest and work, can be a beautiful invitation to pause and ask yourself: “What routines, rhythms or daily practices are serving me right now, and which ones aren’t?”

This reminds me of a conversation I recently had with my tween/teens over the dinner table. I said that every choice we make today is shaping the person we are becoming. 

I want you to read that again. 

If we put this into the context of our daily habits, rhythms of life and routines, how are yours shaping you, and what do they say about the person you are becoming?

Some of those daily practices and routines are good, but maybe not all are beneficial, and if you were to take a closer look, you might even see that some need to go. But we will get to that in a minute.

Whether we know it or not, we are always being invited into differing types of rhythms. The world is great at telling us to do this or that to become this or that person. 

Or we can look at the daily practices and rhythms the Lord is inviting us into, those that will sustain and grow us, that will nurture and shape us.

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest.
Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you.
Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” 

Matthew 11:28–30 MSG

We are not meant to live our life in a way that makes us feel constantly over stretched and exhausted. The Lord calls us into a life that the world can’t offer, and He wants to show us the way.

Let’s pause together, and reflect on your current rhythms, routines and daily practices, and see how they benefit or not, the person you long to be.

Questions to Reflect On

You can journal these, pray through them, or just think over them. You can spend time on each question, or those that speak to you: 

• I’m Which habits have genuinely helped me grow, and which have only taken up time?
• Where have I felt most alive, energised, or connected to God/others?
• What feels heavy, draining, or no longer serving this season?
• What routines would support who I want to become this year?
• What practices do I need to protect in order to grow spiritually, emotionally, and physically?
• What small shift could bring the biggest difference to my days?
• Where do I sense God inviting me to slow down, simplify, or trust Him more?
• What one thing do I need to stop doing?
• What one new practice have I been meaning to try?
• Do my current rhythms reflect what I value most?
• Am I building space for rest and renewal, or only productivity?
• What helps me feel most connected to God in the everyday?
• What habits are keeping me stuck in old patterns?
• Which routines do I need to release or reshape?
• If I imagined myself thriving in six months, what rhythms would already be in place?
• What routines now will carry me closer to that future version of me?

These aren’t just questions about productivity or efficiency, they’re about more about alignment. Every rhythm shapes not only what we do, but who we are becoming. God’s heart for you is not to be overburdened or burned out, but to live freely and lightly in step with Him. This is why the rhythms we choose matter.

As you look at the things you want to change, let go of or begin, just remember that you don’t need to do everything all at once. 

Start small over the coming week:

• What is one thing you are leaving behind?
• What one rhythm or daily practice you are you adding in?

One small rhythm, repeated daily, can shift the whole atmosphere of your life. Think of how just five minutes of prayer can centre your whole day, or how one act of kindness can ripple out into your relationships. Growth doesn’t come through dramatic changes, but through ordinary faithfulness… the kind that God uses to shape us into the likeness of Jesus.

They might look like:

– Beginning your day with prayer and thankfulness

– Reading scripture that remind you of who you are, and who God is

– Eating and sleeping well to look after your body

– Practicing gratitude and celebrating everything

– Growing or being a part of community 

– Spending time in God’s presence – just ‘being’

– Learning to love people more deeply

– Coming alongside others and helping each other to be better followers of Jesus

– Reading a book that challenges or grows you

– Ending your day prayerfully reflecting over it with the Lord

– Enjoying the natural world, that you were created to be a part of

There are so many different ways that we can begin to allow better rhythms into our daily life, that will bring us more life. What would you add to this list?

Before we finish, I want you to do something for me. I want you to close your eyes and imagine yourself a few months from now, thriving and flourishing in daily rhythms that shape you and allow you to become the very person you are created to be. What is one thing you can do now?

‘He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.’ Philippians 1:6

Paul reminds us that the work of shaping your life is not yours to do alone. The Lord is already at work in you, and as you choose rhythms that draw you closer to Him, you’ll discover just how faithful He is to finish what He started.

Lord, continue the good work you have begun in me, until it reaches your completion. Help me to make choices that honour the life you call me to, as I trust you in the shaping of my life. Help me to stay the path even when I can’t see the way ahead. Please give me the wisdom I need each day, as I follow faithfully in your steps. In Jesus name I pray, amen.

Keep growing friend, one choice and one day at a time. 

Carrie x

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