When it comes to spiritual solitude we have to get honest with ourselves and also brutally practical. One of the critiques of spiritual devotion and discipline is that it is somehow ethereal, not practical, overly existential, and/or subjective. Perhaps some of the criticism is true, however Nouwen teaches us honesty and practicality when it comes to solitude.
Regarding solitude he says, “Five or ten minutes a day may be all we can tolerate. Perhaps we are ready for an hour everyday, an afternoon every week, a day every month, or a week every year. The amount of time will vary for each person according to temperament, age, job, lifestyle, and maturity.” We can’t expect meaningful solitude by shear force, we’ve already covered that, so trying to force an hour when you are only ready for 5 minutes will only produce quick burnout. However you must plan for it or it will never happen.
Nouwen comments, “we do not take the spiritual life seriously if we do not set aside some time to be with God and listen to Him. We may have to write it in black and white in our daily calendars so that nobody else can take away this period of time.” And if you struggle, as I often do with managing time, if you don’t set time aside, you will never get there. You just keep fooling yourself.
kevin said,
March 7, 2008 @ 4:33 pm
Arrrrg. Seems like we all struggle with this. A YoungLife leader that I look up to showed me great discipline in that he set aside a day a month for what he called “Jesus and Me” or JAM time. He would put the day on his calendar and stick to it. Typically he took a hike in the North Georgia mountains, with a Bible and a devotional, and would spend the time in prayer and reflection. On the few days last year where I was able to copy his example, I found it to be an amazing time away. For something closer to home, thirty minutes in the “Loft” without the cell phone does wonders.