Let’s be real. I don’t as much as I should. I don’t do well in the quiet. My mind is always going a million miles a minute and even when I’m sitting in a chair in a room with no one around I’m talking to myself in my head or thinking about what I need to be doing next. I also have this huge distraction which you are probably reading this blog from… a phone. It buzzes and rings, notifications pop up and I want to check them. Hard to have silence with that thing around…
My small group recently went through a study on Right Now media. The study was titled “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry” by John Mark Comer (This series is based off his book titled the same) It’s a 5 session series that literally helps guide you to eliminate the hurry. Easier said than done, right?
The one session of the five that just keeps creeping into my mind is the one titled “Silence and Solitude.” Like I shared above, silence is hard for me, but so is solitude. I’m a social person. I love people. I love talking. It’s just who I am, but like this session taught me practicing silence and solitude is important, especially amongst the busy times to have a healthy and spiritual life.
The busier we become, the more we need God. The more we need time to just sit and be with him and just soak in all the greatness around us. I’ll say it again, easier said than done, right?
John Mark shares that there is a difference between external and internal silence. External silence is the absence of noise- no music, no tv, no cellphone ringing. But what does internal silence look like? That’s when we can limit the thoughts, worries and questions from bouncing around in our heads.
Solitude doesn’t mean you are isolating yourself from people, it means you are choosing to separate yourself from the busyness and allowing yourself to be within the quiet.
So, how can we practice this silence and solitude thing and make it applicable to our daily lives? Here is three takeaways that I had from this session and that I’ve been trying to do (Key word, trying, we’re all a work in progress)
1. Plan a time at least once a week to sit in silence and solitude. Go to your favorite outdoor place and just sit and soak it all in. It doesn’t have to be long, but just find that spot. If sitting isn’t your thing, walk and explore that place. Maybe you have woods around your house or a lake that you can kayak on.
2. It doesn’t have to be perfect and we don’t need to stress. Just try to give yourself some time to have silence and solitude so you can calm your mind and body.
3. Start where you are. If you can only give yourself silence and solitude before the kids wake up and it’s only 5 minutes, that’s okay. Start there. Any time practicing this will be beneficial.
I write this because it is my hope that you give this a try. Go to your garden, take a walk, get in your kayak, sit on your patio. BUT it’s also a way to hold myself accountable. Doing this is such an important thing when the world around us is just so noisy. If you see me, ask me how my silence and solitude is going.
I hope you can find some silence and solitude soon and soak in all the beauty around us.
Teaching Taylor 
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