Solitary Time

I love people.
I find them so interesting.
I love to listen to their stories.
I love to hear about their families.
Talking to people invigorates me.

That being said, I also love my solitary time.
Time to think.
Time to reflect.

I was always told growing up that I was comfortable around all sorts of people.
I was also told that I liked my own company.
That is still true.

Often, people don’t like to be alone because it is too quiet…too lonesome.
For me, I do my best thinking at those times.
I never mind the solitude.

Having a large family, I had to be pretty creative to grab those quiet moments.
Nothing fancy…just sitting on the porch swing, reading a good book, even weeding the flower beds, or watering my plants provided the solace I needed in my day.

When the children were young, they would always find me.
That was just fine with me.
The porch swing is made for more than one person.
I could just accidentally sprinkle someone with the hose as I was watering the plants.
Books are meant to be shared.

That is what a family is all about…the alone times and the together times.
It’s about being comfortable with both.

When I became a Christian, solitary time meant so much more.
It meant spending time reading God’s Word, usually in the morning at the kitchen counter as I had my breakfast.
My children grew so accustomed to seeing me in that spot.

I remember one morning, my son came downstairs.
I happened to be in the family room, next to the kitchen.
I watched him come through the foyer towards the kitchen and look for me at the counter.

That warmed my heart.
My daily routine was something he expected to see.
He seemed perplexed when he didn’t see me there…until I called his name and he turned around and saw me.

I once read that the footsteps children will often follow are the ones you thought you covered up.
They don’t miss anything…good or bad.
Something that seems so insignificant to us, speaks volumes to them.

My solitary time with the Lord was not very solitary.
He was there with me, of course, but so were my children’s eyes.
I never knew they were watching.
Habits were being formed…character was being built…and faith was growing.

Solitary time was important to David.
When God rejected Saul as king, He sent the prophet Samuel to choose another.
God’s king would come from the house of Jesse in Bethlehem.

Seven of Jesse son’s passed before Samuel.
None of the seven were acceptable.
As the Lord told Samuel, The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. (1 Samuel 16:7)

When Samuel questioned Jesse if these were all the sons he had, Jesse answered, There is still the youngest, but he is tending the sheep. (1 Samuel 16:11)

David had a lot of solitary time as a shepherd.
Time to know more about the God he served.
David was the writer of many of the psalms.
Perhaps that poetry came as a result of his time alone with God.
David learned how to fight the lion and the bear that tried to carry away his sheep.
David was the brave young warrior who slew Goliath with a slingshot and a stone.

David…the solitary shepherd, who became king, from whose line would come the Messiah.

Jesus often went to solitary places to pray.
He often took His disciples to a solitary place to get away from the ever present crowds.

Often, the Bible translates solitary places as wilderness places.
To us, that has a negative connotation.
But the wilderness is a good thing.

The wilderness is where we learn about who God is.
The wilderness is where we discover how much we need God.
The quiet of our solitude is where we will hear Him best.

He is whispering.
Do you hear Him?