Solitude is freedom from loneliness; whether you are alone or with people, you have cultivated the inner awareness that you are never alone.

This concept of solitude challenges me – though not in the way you might think. I’ve always loved being alone. It’s comfortable – I feel most like my true self when I’m alone. But when I am away from my sanctuary of solitude, I struggle with feeling lonely.

To feel unknown and unseen in a crowd is far lonelier to me than to be alone at home. This shows me that one area I still need to grow in is my ability to live in the truth that God sees and knows me far better than anyone ever could and is always with me – that way I never feel lonely, whether I’m at home or feeling invisible in a crowd.

Why practice Solitude?

Jesus practiced solitude in a variety of circumstances: after healings, after John the Baptist was killed, before choosing his disciples, to recharge after ministering in crowds (Mark 1:12&35, Luke 5:15-16, Luke 6:12-13, Matthew 14:13&33).

He also taught it to his disciples:

Solitude helps us to detox from busyness in order to know ourselves. Busyness distracts us from deeper heart issues. How much of our busyness is performance-oriented, connected to a subconscious desire to earn love and approval, from God and others?

Solitude helps us to know ourselves on a deep level, who we really are, what is really going on in our soul, giving time for wounds, deep motivations, emotions and sinful thought patterns to surface.

Solitude is a time to meet with God, to hear from Him, know Him, and remember who He is.“Be still and know that I am God” Psalm 46:10

Solitude helps to produce fruit that manifests in our daily lives. We are able to love others more fully, as we spend time encountering and experiencing God’s love. Our ability to love others well comes from the overflow of God’s love in us: to the extent we receive His love, it will overflow.

Solitude can produce patience and self-discipline. It will help us cultivate the wisdom to better discern when we should be silent and when we should speak. As we spend time with Him, we are more securely rooted in our identity in Him, giving us the freedom to refrain from self-justification. We can stop using words to manage or control and the security to entrust our reputations to God.

In solitude we can truly rest. Rest helps us to be unshakeable as we tap into God’s strength. “Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.” Psalm 62:5-6

Ultimately, going away from people for a time helps us to be able to be truly present with people.

Suggestions for practicing solitude:

My experience with solitude

As much as I love solitude, when I did my own assigned exercise, I discovered that practicing it as a spiritual discipline is still challenging for me. Even without having my phone or anything else in my external environment to distract me, I had plenty in my mind to divert my attention. It was far too easy to let my mind wander, and that really isn’t the purpose of this exercise! But when my mind wandered, I just tried to give myself grace and then refocus –ultimately, despite my self-generated distractions, it still felt fruitful.

This time of solitude just reinforced the benefit of these disciplines. Even with how seemingly ideal certain disciplines are for us, given our temperament and personality, there will always be room for growth as we practice them!

Questions for Reflection:

What challenges you about solitude? How has solitude been life-giving for you? What have you experienced while practicing it?

Comment below or contact me – I’d love to connect with you!

Next week we will be focusing on the disciplines of Service and Submission – subscribe, and I will send you the worksheet so you can journey with me this week!