Afraid to be Alone?
“Today spiritual disciplines really need to be focused on our relationship with God in a world where God gets crowded by everyday distractions.” Last week, Matt began the blog with this statement and then followed it with five great ideas to improve our relationship with God. So this week, I would like to add one more….actually getting away from everyday distractions!Time away…being alone with God…may be the single most important thing you can do when the distractions of this life threaten to harm our spiritual health. As I write this, I have escaped the normative life of Raleigh to the shores of Myrtle Beach. I have the door open and the sounds of the waves crashing on the beach have a way of soothing the chaos that I call my mind. This beach front condo is costing me $35 per night and is fabulous. It is not “suffering for Jesus” by any means, but it is time away…time to think…to ponder…to read…to pray. It is time for me to let go of most of my daily duties (answering phone calls, email, meetings and so forth) and try to make sense of what God wants for me. Obviously, I have not completely escaped as I am now writing this blog, but the time overall is critical to my life as a pastor.
So when was the last time you got away and took some time to be with God alone. So often we are afraid of such an idea…afraid of where the silence will lead us. But here is my suggestion…stop reading this and just take the next five minutes you were planning to use to read this and be quiet before God. Better yet, use those five minutes to plan a day away by yourself. God has something to say to you….are you being quiet enough to hear him. I find that God rarely shouts!
- Written by Ed Palpant