The Spiritual Discipline of Solitude

Each Spiritual Discipline I have practiced so far is supposed to target some inward struggle. The purpose of each discipline is to lead to a renewed sense of freedom because of the release of that struggle. The discipline of solitude is supposed to target the inward focus of self. Being alone will take the focus off ourselves so that we are accustomed to hearing God's Word and feeling God's presence better.

Pulling away into a place of solitude is ultimately going to prepare us for the times of spiritual dryness and other times of trial. Solitude is a demonstration of "mortification" which is a fancy term for dying to self to be raised again in Christ. If we encounter a dry time where we feel that God is not present, we often feel lonely or abandoned. This is a form of self-centeredness, because we blame God and not our ignorance. But if we often practice the discipline of being alone, then we know what it feels like to still feel God in the silence. Practicing silence takes the focus off of ourselves and the world moving around us, and places it solely on God's presence. This stealing away for a time and being with God helps prepare us to engage other people. It creates a ready spirit in us so that we are able to fully do ministry. It is refreshing. And it prepares us for dry seasons. And it prepares us for suffering. Solitude is a method of mortification that leads us closer to living a life like Christ.

As an introvert, I am not unfamiliar with having to take alone time to be refreshed. The only way I can feel energized is to steal away for a time. So it was definitely possible and easy for me to practice solitude this week. However, in class we introverts were challenged to take this one step further beyond just alone time. Perhaps thinking less about taking alone time to relax, and more taking alone time to be with God. Or maybe even doing something else all together. I chose something else all together.

I am a very outgoing introvert. I love people and interacting with them. I am also very, very chatty. I love laughing and having a good time with people. I realize that much of my day is spent talking so that I get attention. I definitely retreat to be alone, but for the rest of the day, I am completely self-centered.  So I decided to go an entire day without talking. I wanted God to be exalted by my speech and my interaction with people. And I really need to dial down my senseless conversation in order for that to happen.

I made a few ramifications before the day started. I decided that I would talk when spoken to so that I would not appear rude or have to tell everyone about my practice. I decided I would contribute to my group project at our meeting. I decided I would speak in class if called on. I told my professors and the few people I interact with most so that they would not make it more difficult on me. Even when I did have to talk, I decided I would speak limited and thoughtfully so as to still exalt God.

What I found is that with those three in mind, I still talked more than I did not. The professor who knew I was not talking still called on me. People said hi to me every direction I turned. One of my roommates still chatted at me non-stop because she doesn't like silence. I work in food service and still had to be polite and conversational to the customers. There was no way to go about my daily life and not interact with people. I did sit around the lunch table and not contribute to the conversation. But that experience did not really have any spiritual awakenings. I did like sitting back and observing instead of feeling like words were my responsibility. I think what I learned from that experience is that perhaps my daily interaction is a little more significant than I had initially realized. I did get an education in how to chew my words carefully before saying them, but I think I learned that it is okay that I talk a lot. This practice of this discipline led me to maybe consider that I do not have to change anything.

So even though I did not achieve any spiritual awakenings through my mortification, I would not call it useless. I think learning about this discipline and studying it has led me to consider taking alone time to exalt God and be refreshed by His presence. I know that I need that alone time anyway to be energized, and who better to energize me than the Creator? It was good to learn and practice solitude. I think it would be interesting to continue to practice this one and let it become a natural part of my introvertedness.

Thank you for reading :)

Blessings,

Alyssa