“I live in that solitude which is painful in youth, but delicious in the years of maturity.” ~Albert Einstein
I just read an article on how to have more solitude in your life and the benefits it brings. I’ve long been aware of my need for solitude so I find it rather amusing that there are so many articles telling you how to find it, work toward it, etc. I can recall as a girl I knew I had to have time away from the chaos of three younger brothers. As a young mom with little ones I craved alone quiet time that had become so rare and precious. When my kids were older I established my “closed shop” rule: After 9pm I closed the door to my bedroom and no one better knock unless there was blood, death or fire. It was my only ‘me time’ and as a single working mom with many teens (at one time 5 teens and two 11 yr olds…mine & others) living in my home, closing shop was the only way to have any solitude at all. To this day my kids do not call me after 9pm. That’s a good thing.
It was during the time of my first ‘empty nest’ that I rededicated my life to the Lord. I was struggling with having all the kids out of my home but God used the opportunity to get my undivided attention. I have been very thankful ever since. With no one else needing my attention and time I was free to focus only on seeking Him when I came home from work every evening. I was like a giant sponge, thirsty and dry, and the living water of Jesus was the only thing that satisfied that thirst. It was an intense time of my life; intense in a complex and wonderful way. Finding solitude in Christ may sound contradictory but when you consider that He is in you and you are one with Him…it is solitude at its utmost!
Today, I can say I have adjusted to living with another adult after the big shock of it all when my Honey and I first married. He, too, needs time alone at home to just ‘be’. It is a comfortable fit for us and I believe plays a large role in our compatibility. We need ‘our time’ but honor each other’s alone time.
As a writer I most definitely need time alone! Referring back to that ADD possibility, I get distracted easily and nothing is more frustrating that to be writing along and have something or someone pull my mind out of the writing mode. It is like a short circuit in the creative flow of words and thought processes. My beloved dogs are a major source of distraction and frustration. Though they live indoors I have to send them outside most writing days. Just the playing, romping and begging to get in my lap can ruin an entire writing session. I can’t write when my Honey is home either. My ‘office’ is smack in the middle of our home out in the open. Anything he might do short of sequestering himself in his studio for the duration is disruptive. He’s tried simply sitting on the couch quietly, not talking or anything but I can see him, feel him and want to strangle him for inhibiting the writing process…….love him bunches but need him gone so I can write. He talks of the day he can retire but I have no idea where he will live when that time comes, certainly not with me…all writing would ground to a screeching halt and that will never do!
If this sounds selfish to you consider the fact that I am in good company in requiring solitude. Jesus was surrounded by the masses, walked many a mile with the entourage of disciples and their ‘posse’ (groupies, families) and He sought out solitude, too. The spirit needs a regular dose of solitude to renew, regroup and re-energize.
John 6:15
Then Jesus, knowing that they meant to come and seize Him that they might make Him king, withdrew again to the hillside by Himself alone.
So, Friends, toss the cell phone in a drawer, take a walk by yourself, turn off the TV and radio or send the family to a movie…just do something to make slices of time for solitude. No noise to distract, no voices to respond to, just you and Jesus quietly sitting together. It is not something to fear or dread, it is ”…delicious…” to quote Albert Einstein!
No comments:
Post a Comment