“He (Jesus) withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place.” Matt 14:13Moving to Nebraska seven years ago I was struck by the BIG horizons and by the stunning sunrises and sunsets. God seems to open His red/yellow/blue paint-box at the beginning and end of every day and project a new work of art for us to enjoy out here. Some may collect cars and others antiques but in Nebraska, I collect sunrise/sunset images.
The vast expansive Nebraskan landscapes can also speak of a bleak solitude. How much have you purposely embraced solitude in order to develop your spiritual life? Experiencing solitude is an ancient-future discipline for spiritual growth but, in the light of a culture that is increasingly filled with distracting noise, it is not too popular. One must plan and escape into solitude just as Jesus did. Our lives are busy and solitude and silence are not popular.
The benefits of solitude for our prayer life are well documented. Like fasting, it frees us from compulsions that may be undetected and slavish. Let’s face it, to not carry a cell phone or I-Pod and to be quiet is now a challenge in our culture. So to practice solitude is more than likely to be misunderstood by our peers. There is a real liberty to just being alone for the purpose of hearing from God. In solitude, we die to others and ourselves so as to live for God. In solitude our busy lives are unmasked and the value we attached to these activities reassessed. Solitude does not gain us new strength to save us from burnout but wisdom to avoid it.
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