The Discipline of Solitude

The Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster is a book I have enjoyed regularly for many years. Foster writes about several classic spiritual disciplines...from Meditation to Confession...and I'll admit I am attracted to some of the disciplines more than others :-) For instance, I really like reading about Prayer and Simplicity, while I tend to skip over the devotions on Fasting and Study and save them for an unspecified time in the future...Hey, did you know that when you are a nursing mother, you are completely exempt from fasting? Here's to another two years! Ha. Anyway, I was studying the discipline of Solitude recently and appreciated this passage:

Dietrich Bonhoeffer in Life Together titled one of his chapters, "The Day Together" and the following chapter "The Day Alone." Both are essential for spiritual success. He writes, "Let him who cannot be alone beware of community....Let him who is not in community beware of being alone....Each by itself has profound pitfalls and perils. One who wants fellowship without solitude plunges into the void of words and feelings, and one who seeks solitude without fellowship perishes in the abyss of vanity, self-infatuation, and despair."

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.

As Advent grows near, I especially desire to limit my activities and ensure I am giving myself plenty of space and time to reflect upon God's goodness and my need for a Savior.