Seeking to spruce up my time alone with God, I have turned to the spiritual disciplines. One such discipline is most enticing, yet slippery, like that annoying bar of soap: solitude. During moments of solitude, the television of my mind turns on. I jump on the sofa, comfortably pick up the remote, and start channel surfing. Some of my favorite shows include,
· WWF – Let’s wrestle, get bruised and bloodied over various thoughts, concepts, and theology.
· Dr. Sarah – Let’s criticize, analyze, tease apart situations, ideas, and best of all – people.
· Fantasy Island – Let’s take a trip down imagination lane. Imagine all the pretend dialogues, situations that will never happen … all the “what ifs.” Then, let’s replay previous conversations and interactions. Imagine all the “should-ofs” and “could-ofs.” Then, let worry take over.
· Cooking with Sarah – Let’s whip up some savory, “I have a lot to do!”, followed by the frothy, “Why am I sitting here?”. For dessert, we have the creamy and rich, “Oh, I forgot to do that.”
Needless to say, this TV is very boisterous, like a rebelling teenager. However, like the fabulous show, Nanny 911, taught me, it takes gentle persistence and an upper hand to move that apathetic teen off the sofa, to put down the remote, and to gain cooperation.
However, the TV must be unplugged for the goal is quietness … in the soul.
Check out Isaiah 30:15-22, “… In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength …. Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.”
Through the spiritual disciplines, I find freedom, not stagnation. Allowing my aloof teen to vegetate on the sofa will only lead to entrapment. Indulgence leads to enslavement. In contrast, God rewards those who seek him.
I look to Jesus’ model. Read Mark 1:35-39, “In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed…” Jesus’ desire to have solitude must have been extrememly strong. He had to fight fatigue, hunger, and the cool dampness of the morning. All that Jesus did, teaching, healing, reconciling, extends from God. Jesus received a clear picture of his ministry and purpose. Revived, he left the crowds of people who still sought healing to go elsewhere, where God was leading. Jesus could not have received that message if he didn’t exercise solitude and prayer with God.
So how much more true is that for us? I need God to pour into me his purpose for my life. Only by sitting at God’s feet will I be renewed to hear and have the ability to be the person God is calling me to be. Solitude and communion with God is not an option for me, Sarah, the Jesus-follower, because God is my Source. So, I will continue to persistently walk over to that cantankerous TV, pull out the plug, and seek quietness with God in my soul.
