Solitude And Silence...
...Prepare For Prayer.

"Solitude is more a state of mind and heart than it is a place." --Foster

"The further the soul is from the noise of the world, the closer it may be to its Creator, for God, with his holy angels, will draw close to a person who seeks solitude and silence." -- Kempis

***************************************************

Peace be to you...my friend.

Peace...

...instead of turmoil and stress.

Sounds nice, doesn't it?

But, is it really possible to have peace...

...in the times that we live...

...and in the culture in which we live?

We live in a culture that sets unrealistic expectations...

...and lures us into the trap that we can...

...and must...

...do it all...

...be it all...

...and have it all.

But...where does it get us?

It gets us to the point where we can become...

...frustrated, ragged, drained, beat -up, beat-down...

...and everything in-between.

We can get to the point where we have no energy...

...or strength...

...to keep on going.

And yet...

...we still do.

When you find yourself at this point...

...and some unforeseen adversity comes your way...

...it can just about put you under.

The "world" will offer you a smorgasbord...

...of things to choose from...

...to help you cope.

But, in the end...

...what it offers will only hinder you...

...trip you up...

...or completely "bind" you and take you captive.

Peace ...

...inner peace...

...becomes only a desperate dream.

I am here to say to you...my friend...

...there's hope.

There's hope...peace...joy...and love...

...if you're willing to "give up."

Yes...I said it...

..."give up."

In this case...

...you have to be willing to give up...

...to win.

It's time to... Surrender. ***********************************************

LONELINESS

You see...

...the world can be a very lonely place.

You could be in the middle of a crowd...

...and still experience loneliness.

How is that possible?

It's possible because there is a lack of connection...

...a lack of intimacy...

...between those who find themselves gathered together...

...with those they do not know.

That's why we're supposed to develop friendships.

Friendship is created through sharing...caring...

...and communication.

Simple...right?

Yes...simple...but not always easy.

It appears to be so easy for some to make friends

(almost instantaneous)...

...and almost impossible for others.

Personality types have a lot to do with this.

If you're one who finds it difficult...

...to open-up and make friends...

...believe me...

...you are not alone.

I can relate to you in a very deep way.

You want to connect somehow...

...but, you're just not sure how to do it...

...and perhaps...

...even terrified at the thought.

There may even be times...

...when you may choose to go to an environment...

...where there is lots of activity...

...just to try and curb a feeling of loneliness you have inside.

Does it help...I mean...really help?

Sometimes, it does...

...but, quite often...it does not.

Perhaps the word "solitude"...

...brings to mind this sense of...

...loneliness.

I'm here to tell you...friend...

...I understand.

But...

...I assure you that it can be just the opposite.

Just keep reading. :)

PERSONALITY

Now, I suppose personality could be to "blame"...

...for a lot of this type of behavior...

...or for some of the kinds of experiences I've just described.

But...I would have to ask you...

...have you taken a good hard look into your own soul?

Is there something missing?

An empty "hole" that you can't seem to fill?

Personality type does have a lot to do...

...with the way you and I spend our time...

...especially our leisure time.

Extroverts tend to find ways to be around people...

...or, find ways to at least be in contact with others...

...(phone, texting, etc.)...

...when they find they have some time on their hands.

Introverts, on the other hand...

...tend to be rejuvenated by being in a more quiet...

...less active environment.

Regardless...

...whatever personality type you are...

...you were made with a "place" inside...

...that only God can fill.

EMPTINESS

So...no matter where your personal "comfort zone" may be...

...there is still an emptiness inside when you're there.

How do you deal with that?

Do you try and cover it up with activity (busy-ness)...

...noisy mind-distractions (TV, music, video games, etc.)...

...or, even reading or studying?

Do you try and find the nearest party...

...or nightclub...

...and do your best to "drown" the pain?

It doesn't really matter what "it" is.

"It" is anything that keeps you from "looking inside" yourself...

...and seeing or feeling what is really there.

That empty hole can only be filled with one thing.

Please keep reading.

FEAR

Perhaps...

...you don't take the time...

...or, make the effort...

...to "look inside" yourself...

...because you fear what you may find.

Perhaps in silence...

...you fear the unknown.

Fear can paralyze you...my friend.

But...you can overcome fear...

...if you really want to.

Great courage lies within you...my friend.

You may have never tapped into it up to this point...

...but it is still there.

Sometimes, you must reach deeper than you ever have before...

...to find what you have always longed for.

Don't let fear keep you from a fulfilled life.

There is no need to fear silence...

...or solitude for that matter.

In fact...

...silence and solitude...

...can become the foundation of your greatest comfort...

...and strength.

SILENCE

Let us begin...

...with silence.

Here's a couple of definitions for "silence":

1) The absence of sound; stillness.

2) A period of time without speech or noise.

Silence is a critical element in achieving solitude.

However...

...it is possible to have silence...

...without solitude.

But...it is impossible to have solitude...

...without silence.

Silence is the beginning of making the mind quiet...

...and preparing the heart...

...for intimacy.

Intimacy...

...the key ingredient to having a deep, meaningful relationship.

Setting aside a time of silence and solitude...

...is making time for the most important relationship...

...you could ever dream of having.

Silence...can lead to solitude...

...which makes it possible...

...to know God on an intimate level.

Time spent with Him...

...in this manner...

...is time well spent.

The inner life of the soul...

...can be nurtured during times of solitude and silence...

...in such a way...

...that it carries over into your daily routines of living.

You see...

..."A day filled with noise and voices can be a day of silence...

..if the noises become for us the echo of the presence of God..."

(Foster, 1998, Celebration of Discipline).

Outer silence can become...

...an inner silence...

...a silence that remains even in the midst of the chaos of life.

SOLITUDE

Silence leads to solitude.

Here are a couple of definitions for "solitude":

1) The state or quality of being alone or remote from others.

2) A lonely or secluded place.

"Sounds" pretty lonely doesn't it?

Except...

...this is precisely the place you want to be...

...if you really want to get to know...

...and understand...

...God.

You want to know why?

Because...

...He doesn't come to you with a voice of thunder...

...like in the middle of a terrible rainstorm...

...with lightning flashing all around.

He doesn't come to you with a voice...

...that causes the earth to tremble...

...or the world to shake...

...as in an earthquake.

Although...He could do all of that...

...and more.

No...

...He comes to you...

..."in a still...

...small...

...voice."

Yes...

...He speaks.

He will speak to you...my friend.

But...

...you have to make time for Him...

...and come to Him on His terms.

Solitude and silence...

...is the foundation of... the "hush."

It is in the "hush" that God will...

...begin to have an intimate relationship...

...with you.

The solitude and silence...

...you set aside for Him...everyday...

...will be the beginning of something truly amazing...

...in your life.

The relationship you will begin to have with Him...

...will bring a peace you have never known before.

And...you will find that it carries over into daily life.

The solitude and silence...

...the peace that you experience...

...remains with you.

Even in the middle of intense crisis...

...depending on your faithfulness of meeting with Him daily.

You will come to...

...long...

...for your "quiet times" with Him.

He is SO good. :)

You will find that there may be times when...

...you find yourself alone...

...but...my friend...

..."you are never alone."

"Alone...but, never alone."

I read that somewhere...

...but I'm not sure where.

Regardless...

...I like it...

...it "speaks to me."

Make time for God...

...and He will make time for you.

I promise.

Blessings...friend.

-- Pilgrim

Leave "Solitude and Silence" and go to "The Hush." Go to "Prayer...Peace" Reference Page Go to "The Surrender." Go to "Home Page."

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