Solitude

I, Shields, am reading Henri J.M. Nouwen because of a recommendation of one of the presenters at the Florida Five Day Academy this year. Wendy Greer has compiled and edited different works of  Nouwen to show how to live a prayerful life and called it “The Only Necessary Thing.”

He says “Without solitude it is virtually impossible to live a spiritual life. Solitude begins with a time and place for God and God alone. If we really believe that God  not only exists but also is actively present in our lives – healing, teaching, and guiding – we need to set aside a time and space to give God our undivided attention.

To live a Christian life means to live in the world without being of it. It is in solitude that this inner freedom can grow. A life without a lonely place, that is, a life without a quiet center, easily becomes destructive.  In solitude we discover that our life is not a possession to be defended, but a gift to be shared.”

If you think the above is an easy thing to begin to live, think again. I find it hard to find the time and still harder a quiet place. Early in the morning and late at night seem to be best but even then alarm clocks, telephones, schedules, and other distractions creep in. If you look  at the culture around you there is an almost destructive need for noise all the time. If there is not noise then there are other substances that can keep you from being alone. Why are we so afraid to be alone?

I’m trying to find that time for solitude in the morning before I get up.  I lie quietly and talk/listen to God.  I’m making “me” available to God.

From  me, Martha:

Nouwen has one of the best descriptions of the meaning and necessity of solitude I’ve read.  And Shields has just used one of the best practical descriptions:  “making ‘me’ available to God.”

Actually one of our life-long goals is to be “at one” with Christ and as we grow toward that we are more and more able to make ourselves available to God — not only in the times of silence, but in the midst of our everyday tasks.

However, we all seek to find a specific time of solitude/”time with God”/devotional time..whatever we call it.

Finding the time for “solitude” was easy for me during those years between marriages — I was in charge of my own time and could choose my own early morning or evening times even in the midst of a horrendous work schedule.  Now that I have a Life Partner, we have really been challenged to find “our” time. 

 I have a special place I call my “altar” and sometimes I get up early and go there before Shields gets up.  Sometimes I wait until after he goes to his part-time job and go it or sit and read in another special place.

The important thing for couples, we think, is to respect the need that each partner has for solitude, and talk together about how to make that happen.  Amazing what “solutions” come up when God and partners work together!