The Voice in the
Garden of Solitude
Solitude is the garden for our hearts, which yearn for love. It is the place where our aloneness can bear fruit. It is the home for our restless bodies and anxious minds.
Solitude, whether it is connected with a physical space or not, is essential for our spiritual lives. It is not an easy place to be, since we are so insecure and fearful that we are easily distracted by whatever promises immediate satisfaction.
Solitude is not immediately satisfying, because in solitude we meet our demons, our addictions, our feelings of lust and anger, and our immense need for recognition and approval.
But if we do not run away, we will meet there also the One who says, “Do not be afraid. I am with you, and I will guide you through the valley of darkness.” Lets keep returning to our solitude.
—Henri J. M. Nouwen,
Bread for the Journey
Elsewhere, Henri Nouwen wrote: “To live a spiritual life, we must first find the courage to enter the desert of our loneliness and change it by gentle and persistent efforts into a garden of solitude. However, the movement from loneliness to solitude is the beginning of any spiritual life because it is the movement from the restless senses to the restful spirit, from the outward-reaching cravings to the inward-reaching search.” Thomas Merton says, “Solitude is essential if we are to have spiritual lives.” I agree with them both. Nouwen writes that solitude is the only place where our aloneness can bear fruit. Merton says the man or woman who fears to be alone will never be anything but lonely. The world has forgotten the joys of silence, they say, the peace of solitude, which is necessary for the fullness of human living. Solitude is challenging; quieting the cacophony that surrounds us and the ‘tyranny of the urgent’ long enough to quiet the storm and listen for God’s still small voice takes devotion. A little at a time, slowly but surely, we can discover the sweet taste of aloneness with our God. Let us find our way into this joyous seat today. Our souls cry for alone time with Him! —DH
—David Hoskins, Founder & Care Guide, Sanctuary Clinics