Finding Solitude
All human beings are alone. No other person will completely feel like we do, think like we do, act like we do. Each of us is unique, and our aloneness is the other side of our uniqueness.
The question is whether we let our aloneness become loneliness or whether we allow it to lead us into solitude. Loneliness is painful; solitude is peaceful. Loneliness makes us cling to others in desperation; solitude allows us to respect others in their uniqueness and create community.
Letting our aloneness grow into solitude and not into loneliness is a lifelong struggle. It requires conscious choices about whom to be with, what to study, how to pray, and when to ask for counsel.
But wise choices will help us to find the solitude where our hearts can grow in love.
—Henri J. M. Nouwen,
Bread for the Journey
C.H. Spurgeon said, “There are times when solitude is better than society, and silence is wiser than speech.” While it is true that we were created for relationship and community, there is no substitute for moments of silence and solitude before the Lord in our spiritual lives. To enter into solitude and silence with the Lord is to take your spiritual life seriously. It is to take seriously your need to quiet the noise of your life, to pause, in order to give God your undivided attention. In solitude, God begins to free us from the rat-race and remind us that he is “the One in whom we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). In solitude our thoughts and our desires are reoriented towards God, so we become less entangled with lesser affections, so as to be more deeply responsive to God’s desires for us. He doesn’t need our religious striving; he desires a relationship with us. Let us savor the marvels of that one-on-one loving relationship with our Heavenly Father! —DH
—David Hoskins, Founder & Care Guide, Sanctuary Clinics