“In the morning, long before dawn, he got up and left the house, and went off to a lonely place and prayed there.” Mark 1:35
As I mentioned late last week, this past weekend I spent at a wonderful, quiet and secluded place just south of St. Louis in Pevely, Missouri, on grounds that overlook the Mississippi River. Called the “Vision of Peace Hermitages,” the six pristine acres and nine small dwellings provide a simple oasis from the world for anyone looking to get away and be alone with God. We all need that time once in a while to unplug (physically and metaphorically) and recharge our spiritual batteries. I came back refreshed and quieted and filled with a peace and contentment that I know comes from God alone. Just before I left on Sunday morning, I wrote in my journal:
In this solitude, this holy quiet
I hear your word in the wind blowing through the trees
In the caw caw caw of the crows (always three times, it seemed)
In the tap tap of a distant woodpecker
In the slap of water on rock at the bottom of the hill.
You speak in my ear
As if standing beside me
As if lingering in my shadow
As if I mattered somehow to you
And I hear words you likely speak to me
All day, everyday
But I cannot hear over the drone of me
Over the busy-ness and the scuttling of hurrying feet.
But here I slow down.
I become quiet.
I listen.
I remind myself
To pray more than “do.”
To reach out more than hold back.
To listen more than speak.
Turn to me.
Say that again.
I am ready to hear.
Ask yourself in silence: Do I value solitude? Can I tell the difference between loneliness and solitude? Can I easily and peacefully be alone, knowing that I’m not alone at all?
