solitude, the first discipline

Solitude is different from loneliness.

One is just hard; the other is essential to growing the life of our soul. We need to get alone to discover we're not alone.

Spiritually, solitude is necessary for the grounding and shaping of the life of our soul. And it's good ground. Because a lot of people are lonely. Really very lonely. And solitude can help. It can re-orient our thoughts away from what we don't have (e.g. companionship) to what we do have (e.g. the meditations of our heart and ability to direct them towards God to assure us WE ARE NOT ALONE). This more soulful rhythm and peace-ful understanding of where we are and who is with us, makes us that much more open to connecting with others; becoming for them the SUN LIT PATH that SOLITUDE is for us.

My new book "Seven Spiritual Disciplines, strength for the journey" talks about our need for solitude, among other things.

Here's an EXCERPT from CHAPTER ONE, on SOLITUDE

When we practice solitude—getting alone to know we are not alone—we tend to emerge more relaxed, with greater clarity on our present position.

This means we are less fitful, and often more prayerful. Abiding in God, privately, starts to feel natural, as solitude gains momentum and takes its place in our list of priorities; becomes an extension of how we do life. Each time, we find ourselves coming away from these private times apart walking a little taller, confident of not only where we are now, but what our next step might be. This is a position of strength, something to celebrate on the path of discipline.

Plus, this momentum is not for nothing: it can lead to the taking of lost ground, the recovery of a firm footing.?

And what happens when SOLITUDE IS MISSING in our lives? When we're run off our feet and constantly "with" someone or ceaselessly streaming new information? What happens when SOLITUDE is lacking? When we can't find a private corner to get our bearings and take hold of the rudder?

Solitude helps define us, spiritually, from the inside out.

When this is lacking, we can feel at sea. It can be an existential crisis. A really lonely place to be... we NEED SOLITUDE to help shape our soul. To give our inner voice, our true heart, our inclination towards greater faith a chance. We're not made to sail sunny seas seven days of the week; but we do need help navigating what comes our way; and solitude can help do that!!

Check out my new book on walking with the SEVEN SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES, and be blessed on your journey wherever you are. Because it's about moving forward together and helping each other out, by speaking truth in love when and where we might be wondering where to go from here. This book seeks to do that.