Only recently have I begun to
understand and appreciate the Spiritual Discipline of “Silence and Solitude”. The benefits of taking time away from everything
and commune with our Creator, are far more than can be listed.
On a personal level I have Silence
and Solitude in my daily life two ways.
One is that I take long runs 3-4 days a week that range from one hour to
an hour and a half. These runs benefit
me several ways. This is my time alone
with God, away from the hourly grind of ministry, and away from
everything. My ear buds on I am tuning
everything else out while listening to either Praise and worship music or my
audio Bible. If there is a day that I am
not able to, I really feel stressed and overwhelmed the rest of the day. God has given me my greatest sermons and most
precious prayer time while on my runs.
The other thing I do several times a week, specifically on days I don’t
run, is after I do my devotion and journal I spend 20 minutes in
meditation. I make sure phone is off,
computer, etc. I close the blinds, lock my office door, and avoid all
interruptions during my time of meditation.
I have an application on my phone called “relaxation sounds” that I listen
to sometimes (sound of ocean, rain, wind, etc.) it really helps to relax and
have solitude. Sometimes I use nothing
and truly have a time of silence.
Silence and Solitude is so difficult
these days. It is hard to get away from
the noise of the world, and the technology that consumes our life. We are people that are overworked, over
stressed, and undisciplined. It takes a
lot of time, effort, and energy to ensure that we experience silence and solitude,
however the benefits outweigh the effort of making sure we put it in our
schedule.
He says, "Be still, and know that I am
God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."
(Psalm 46:10, NIV)
Chris L. Reese
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