How to think about solitude...

Some people ask, "What do I do when I practice solitude? What should I bring with me?" The primary answer, of course, is—nothing.

At its heart, solitude is primarily about not doing something. Just as fasting means to refrain from eating, so solitude means to refrain from society. When I go into solitude, I withdraw from conversation, from others, from noise, from media, from the constant barrage of stimulation.

"In solitude," Henri Nouwen wrote, "I get rid of my scaffolding." Scaffolding is all the stuff I use to keep myself propped up, to convince myself I'm important or okay. In solitude I have no friends to talk with, no phone calls or meetings, no TV to entertain, no music or books or newspapers to occupy and distract my mind. I am, in the words of the old hymn, "Just as I Am"—just me and my sinfulness, and God.

One of the great obstacles you will likely face is that extended solitude will feel like a waste of time. We're so conditioned to feel our existence is justified only when we are accomplishing something. But also, for me, this feeling comes because my mind wanders so much. I used to think if I devoted a large chunk of time to praying, I should be able to engage in solid, uninterrupted, focused prayer. But I can't.

What I have come to realize, slowly, is that bits of focused prayer interspersed with these wanderings is all my mind is capable of right now. One day I hope to do better. But for now, I have to accept that a large chunk of prayer time will be lost to wandering. Brother Lawrence said it like this: "For many years I was bothered by the thought that I was a failure at prayer. Then one day I realized I would always be a failure at prayer, and I've gotten along much better ever since."

Exerpts from "How to Think about Solitude" by John Ortberg.  For the full article, go to:

           http://blog.buildingchurchleaders.com/2010/02/how_to_think_about_solitude.html