Solitude

"Therefore we must seek out the recreating stillness of solitude if we want to be with others meaningfully. We must seek the fellowship and accountability of others if we want to be alone safely. We must cultivate both if we are to live in obedience."

 I wanted to start the week out with this excerpt because it speaks so powerfully, it challenges us to really examine the balances we create in our lives. 

When I think about solitude and silence, my mind immediately jumps to Truth. 

When we enter into silence, we encounter the Truth. 

Sometimes this truth is shocking, scary, comforting, convicting, encouraging, challenging, etc... 

But in this encounter, God reveals to us what we can't reveal to ourselves. He points out our insecurities, the lies we tell ourselves, the lies the world tries so hard to make us believe, and ultimately God reminds us that we are powerless and broken. We are able to encounter God in this way because the Spirit of God dwells in our hearts!!  Wow. So though these truths that we cannot avoid in silence make us feel uneasy and weak, their existence provides an undeniable comfort. God dwells in us! We have access to His divine whisper!! I find a true security in this relationship.

So this is how I see the connection to "Our words can only be charged with strength and power if they spring from the silence of the Spirit in our inner being" Because when we enter the silent presence we are strengthened and empowered by God's truth and this carries through. Just as we demonstrate love for our brothers and sisters only through loving Our Father first, our words and experiences demonstrate a strength and power that is only attributable to Our Creator.  

Back to the first quote: 

             We must surround ourselves with the Word, peace, strength, and love of God in order to be an accurate depiction of what we were intended to be. We must allow God's Word to penetrate our every task in order to encounter the Truth in our creation. 

I pray that the Truth we encounter in this week's devotion continues to speak into our hearts. 

With love and spiritual siblinghood :) 

ADK