By Cristie Gardner

As a little girl, I loved going to the park and playing on the seesaw with my sister. We delighted in shifting our weight just right—so we could lift the other side higher and longer, or let it drop faster. Up and down. Up and down. When our side was up, with our faces warmed by sunshine and a cool breeze brushing against us, it almost felt like we could join the birds soaring freely above. Then, inevitably, we would come back down. Sometimes that landing was a tough one—less fun—but a necessary part of the rhythm, because the only way up is after coming down.

The reason seesaws have two seats is so there’s always someone to lift you back up when you go down.

This is exactly how the Law of Rhythm works: up and down, in and out, back and forth, inside and outside. Birth and death. Planting and reaping. Sorrow and joy. It’s all part of divine law—it’s the pulse of life itself.

Life is rhythm in motion. We breathe in and out; our hearts beat with systolic and diastolic pressure. We sleep, then wake. Even our cells respond to rhythm—when we dance or sing, shifting from despair to joy.

Ecclesiastes teaches us of the Law of Rhythm:

Ecclesiastes 3:1-9

3 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
6 A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
7 A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
8 A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

We all resonate with the Law of Rhythm. Our hearts beat in perfect rhythm, with the atria and ventricles working together in harmony. The Cleveland Clinic explains it like this: The impulse starts in a small bundle of specialized cells in the right atrium called the SA node. This electrical signal spreads through the atrial walls, causing them to contract and push blood into the ventricles. The SA node sets the pace and rhythm of your heartbeat.

We love the rhythm of the seasons—spring, summer, fall, winter. We cherish the rhythm of day and night. And who doesn’t find peace in watching the ocean waves surge forward, stretching like watery fingers, then collapse and retreat? The tides come in and go out, leaving treasures in their wake.

In high school, I read one of my all-time favorite books, Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh. Anne endured unimaginable hardship with her young son’s kidnapping and murder. Yet through all her suffering and disappointments, she found peace by listening to the lessons the sea taught her. She wrote:
“When you love someone you do not love them all the time, in exactly the same way, from moment to moment. It is an impossibility. It is even a lie to pretend to. And yet this is exactly what most of us demand. We have so little faith in the ebb and flow of life, of love, of relationships. We leap at the flow of the tide and resist in terror its ebb. We are afraid it will never return. We insist on permanency, on duration, on continuity; when the only continuity possible, in life as in love, is in growth, in fluidity—in freedom.”

My mother was an inspired writer, and many of her children’s stories are written in rhyme—because she knew how to connect with a child’s natural sense of rhythm. Dr. Seuss did the same, weaving words into memorable, rhythmic tales.

Our seasons of life follow a rhythm that seesaws between joy and sorrow, pleasure and pain, light and dark, connection and separation, health and sickness. Both the good and the challenging (read my podcast transcript on the Law of Relativity) are part of life’s rhythm.

Life, like birth, is a process. When a woman is in labor, she feels the ebb and flow of contractions, moving the baby down the birth canal. It’s hard—after eight births, I can attest that childbirth is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done—but it’s necessary to bring new life into the world. So it is with the Law of Rhythm, weaving through every part of our lives. When we truly understand it, we know that difficult times will give way to joy, that light follows darkness, and the sun will shine after the storm.

Og Mandino captured this beautifully:
“The tides advance; the tides recede. Winter goes and summer comes. Summer wanes and the cold increases. The sun rises; the sun sets. The moon is full; the moon is black. The birds arrive; the birds depart. Flowers bloom; flowers fade. Seeds are sown; harvests are reaped. All nature is a circle of moods and I am part of nature and so, like the tides, my moods will rise; my moods will fall.”

Though we experience the Law of Rhythm from our earliest moments—even in the womb—we often struggle to hold onto the truth that things will change, that hard times will improve. Sometimes it almost seems easier to believe things will get worse. Why is that? I’m not sure. But here on earth, many of us focus more on the dark, the lack, the anger, and the unpleasant than on gratitude, peace, and hope. Our faith is the path to our dreams: we envision what we want spiritually and bring it into reality through action.

When we resist what is happening instead of stepping back to observe the Law of Rhythm in our lives, we trap ourselves in worry and turmoil. Yet the highs and lows of life create a beautiful rhythm that offers powerful lessons.

Charlie Chaplin, who some might have called silly, revealed deep wisdom as he aged:
“As I began to love myself I found that anguish and emotional suffering are only warning signs that I was living against my own truth. Today, I know, this is ‘AUTHENTICITY.’
As I began to love myself I understood how much it can offend somebody if I try to force my desires on this person, even though I knew the time was not right and the person was not ready for it, and even though this person was me. Today I call it ‘RESPECT.’
As I began to love myself I stopped craving for a different life, and I could see that everything that surrounded me was inviting me to grow. Today I call it ‘MATURITY.’
As I began to love myself I understood that at any circumstance, I am in the right place at the right time, and everything happens at the exactly right moment. So I could be calm. Today I call it ‘SELF-CONFIDENCE.’”

As I began to love myself, I quit stealing my own time and stopped designing huge projects for the distant future. Today, I only do what brings me joy and happiness—things I love to do that make my heart cheer—and I do them in my own way, at my own rhythm. Today, I call that “SIMPLICITY.”

As I began to love myself, I freed myself from anything that harmed my health—food, people, things, situations, everything that pulled me away from myself. At first, I called this attitude a healthy egoism. Today, I know it as “LOVE OF ONESELF.”

As I began to love myself, I stopped trying to always be right—and since then, I’ve been wrong less often. Today, I call that “MODESTY.”

As I began to love myself, I refused to keep living in the past or worrying about the future. Now, I live only in the moment, where life is truly happening. Today, I live day by day, and I call it “FULFILLMENT.”

As I began to love myself, I realized that my mind could disturb me and even make me sick. But when I connected it with my heart, my mind became a valuable ally. Today, I call this connection “WISDOM OF THE HEART.”

We no longer need to fear arguments, confrontations, or any kind of conflict with ourselves or others. Even stars collide—and from their crashing, new worlds are born. Today, I know “THAT IS LIFE!”

Isn’t it fascinating that learning to love himself opened a door for Chaplin to understand the rhythm that surrounds us?

Marcus Aurelius said,
"Just that you do the right thing. The rest doesn't matter. Cold or warm. Tired or well-rested. Despised or honored. Dying...or busy with other assignments. Because dying, too, is one of our assignments in life. There as well: "To do what needs doing." Look inward. Don't let the true nature of anything elude you. Before long, all existing things will be transformed, to rise like smoke (assuming all things become one), or be dispersed in fragments...to move from one unselfish act to another with God in mind. Only there, delight and stillness...when jarred, unavoidably, by circumstances, revert at once to yourself, and don't lose the rhythm more than you can help. You'll have a better grasp of the harmony if you keep going back to it."

When our children were little, I’d often get up at 4 a.m. to make a HUGE breakfast casserole or pot of oatmeal, study my scriptures, write in my journal, shower, get dressed, work out, and try to accomplish as much as possible before the kids woke up. I knew that once they were up, my time was no longer my own. While that routine brought many benefits, it also left me stressed and sometimes depressed—because realistically, with eight children, it was impossible to stay on top of everything!

Now, my season of life is different, but the rhythm of life still teaches me to move with divine guidance and inspiration. Consequently, I sleep more and spend at least a half hour in prayer and meditation before getting out of bed—often longer. Why? Because when God is on my team and I consult Him as my Coach, I know the time I spend will be the best use of my day.

Deepak Chopra said,
"Our biological rhythms are the symphony of the cosmos, music embedded deep within us to which we dance, even when we can't name the tune."

I’ve been surprised to discover that when I flow with God’s rhythm, I accomplish more—even in seemingly impossibly short bursts of time. This happened with a musical theater production where the words, scenes, and music just poured into my mind. That production was later performed for about 8,000 people over one summer. Performers, stagehands, lighting and sound techs, set designers, and costumers all came together from different places, because I was in harmony with God’s rhythm.

It happened again when I faced a religious and political challenge trying to gain public and religious support for building a temple in Montana. Opposition was fierce, and it fell to me to personally contact pastors, ministers, rabbis, and preachers of every faith in the state. I felt divine help—giving me words, teaching me to listen before speaking, and assuring me that tough questions were only seeking answers. Through that experience, hearts softened. Opposition turned to support. I was humbled and moved by the knowledge that God knows more than I do and orchestrates everything according to His perfect rhythm.

For years, I’ve felt strongly compelled to compose a song to go with some inspired text. I’m not a trained musician, but songs have come to me before, like with that musical production. The tune was given to me many years ago, and at first, I resisted—I felt unqualified to work on this song. But God has His own plans. When He leads and we are open to His rhythm, things come together so smoothly they feel almost effortless.

A few weeks ago, I was watching a church conference session on television. Between sessions, a strong prompting came: NOW! Write it down now! So I did. But I don’t know how to write music. So I asked again, “What should I do next?” This time, I felt prompted to reach out to the fellow who had transcribed the music for me during the musical theater production. Over the years, I’d tried to contact him, but he rarely used Facebook, and my messages went unanswered. This time, though, he was there—and he responded immediately. So now, we’re collaborating again on the song that was given to me.

We so often act like little children insisting on doing things alone. But when we align ourselves—our spirits and hearts—with God’s rhythm, we step out of our comfort zone and into our miracle zone. People come into our lives, the right opportunities appear, physical resources show up, and experiences guide us. And it all just FLOWS.

When teaching a religion class to high school students, I once asked, “If you had to choose between a team of the finest NBA basketball players or a team made up of just you and God, which would you choose?”

There, my friends, lies the answer: a team with you and God. Anything you desire to accomplish will get done with less confusion, greater harmony, and astonishing speed when necessary. It’s all about keeping in sync with God’s Rhythm.

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