Category: solitude

Weary: Lacking Strength, Energy, or Freshness Because of a Need for Rest


The Sovereign Lord has given me his words of wisdom,
    so that I know how to comfort the weary.
Morning by morning he wakens me
    and opens my understanding to his will.
(Isaiah 50:4 NLT)



Just as a tree drops its leaves to rest for the winter, from time to time we need to shed a few things in order to rest and renew ourselves. Each month this year, I have been listening to hear the voice of the Shepherd.

For November, Jesus is calling me to rest. To lie down in the green pastures of silence and solitude. To be led in paths for His name’s sake. To have Him prepare a table before me. So that I may return with mercy and goodness at my heels, and fresh words for the weary.

Stay tuned for a brand new series in December . . .

Advent{ures}:The Favor of God


I really enjoyed putting together and participating in the 31 Days of Quiet series. I will leave the page up in November, in case, you’d like to revisit some of the “ways to wake up your quiet time.” I hope you have been refreshed. That was my intention. I see the posts and Pam Farrel’s ideas as a great resource to infuse life into our devotional time with God, because we do get weary and stuck some times. 

Please visit on Thrilling Guest Thursdays in November, as I have a few of my favorite guests lined up to feed your soul with their lovely words!

For this mini sabbatical, I will be resting, reading and relying on the Holy Spirit to rejuvenate and realign my focus as we near the new year, which liturgically speaking begins with Advent. See you in December!  

Linking with Soli Deo Gloria Party!

Posted on by kelrohlf 6

Still: Uttering No Sound; Quiet

Silence is praise to you,
    Zion-dwelling God,
And also obedience.
    You hear the prayer in it all.
(Psalm 65:1 The Message)

I am restless. A cold snap in the weather caught me unawares. I miss sitting out on our front porch. To go for a walk seems like a huge effort; to find socks, a coat, a hat and gloves appears insurmountable. I sit in the front room staring out at the empty porch swing, wondering how a little cold weather holds me hostage. My mind wanders and focus eludes me. The sunlight peeps through the window. I need some sunshine. I need some warmth. I want to be outdoors in the solitude and silence of a good walk with God.

I grab my phone, a travel mug with coffee, a book and a pen. I rummage through the closet to find gloves and a warm coat. Walking to the park, my mental block begins to thaw. My soul warms up to God. We just walk together. I try to read, but He just wants to be with me. Uttering no sound, being quiet together, moving through the cold, sunny day is enough.

Enough to bring me back to peace, back to some mental clarity and the ideas for a class I’m teaching on Friday begin to flow, just like the blood coursing through my body and the oxygen filling my lungs. 

Solitude affords me the opportunity to be present to the moment. To listen and soak in God’s love. 

In 30 Ways to Wake Up Your Quiet Time, Pam Farrel reminds us that we have to carve out time to be still and know God:

Enjoying quiet is a lost art. Many of miss God in the everyday, but when things are still, when we take time in the quietness of nature–or in the quietness of our souls–our hearts will begin to tune into thoughts of God. 

If it’s been a while since you stopped to smell the roses, do just that. Begin your journey in solitude by a walk in a garden or park. find a grassy knoll and lay on your back…and watch clouds, noting their shapes. then just pray through your thoughts as they come, even if they seem jumbled and random. 

It may feel strange at first to rest in the Lord, but one day of R and R with God can give you back months of clarity and productivity.

©Pam Farrel from 30 Ways to Wake Up Your Quiet Time (IVP). For more devotional books by Pam http://www.Love-wise.com


What is keeping you from being still?

Posted on by kelrohlf 4

Lonely Can Be a Lovely Word


But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. 
(Luke 5:16 NIV)



Sometimes I want to be lonely–without company, cut off from others, not frequented by human beings. Some may say this is sad.  But in my loneliest times, I have found God or He finds me. 

When alone, solitary companionship occurs. God alone fills my deepest desires, comforts me in grief, strengthens my emotional being. So maybe I desire solitude–a privacy to be with my thoughts, to be with God.

Jesus sought the lonely places for prayer. He rested from company.  

Once in awhile, maybe quite often I am looking for that quiet day where I can walk in the lonely woods–to cry if I need to–to hum a tune–to sit still listening to . . . 

the gurgling brook
the rushing fountain
the muffled voices
the siren and traffic in the distance

and I am reminded that I am never too lonely.

I just step out of the woods and I am in the midst of the human race
ready to engage, to understand, to embrace, to listen, 
to do what human beings do–
alleviate
each other’s loneliness.




Posted on by kelrohlf 15

Ordinary: The Regular Course of Things


Teach us to make the most of our time,
so that we may grow in wisdom.

Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, so we may sing for joy
to the end of our lives.
(Psalm 90:12 & 14 NLT)



In the regular course of things, school ended for the year. And now it’s time for summer camp (aka “Ant Kamp”) with Aunt Kel. Spending the month of June with my two nieces and two nephews, who range from ages eleven to six, will be the joy of this summer.

We started the week out celebrating my birthday. The day started with donuts, then brownies for lunch, and ending with a frozen cake made by my sister. It was a sweet day!




Each day has been packed with fun. I wake up with the sun to squeeze in a few minutes of solitude with my journal. Then the troops arrive before breakfast, and so we begin the day together with a meal. After that we gather in the quiet corner for a little prayer time, followed by each child choosing a “place” to go to for their own time of solitude. It could be the porch swing, the hammock, the living room, the gazebo, the quiet corner or the art room.

They have surprised me, in that, they are willing to stay by themselves reading, drawing, creating art or music for close to an half hour. The girls often want me to join them. So I divide my “quiet” time between them. After solitude, we just let things happen. Play a game. Go to the pool. Eat lunch. Rest. Watch Scooby Doo. What more can a kid ask for?!

Are we learning some great spiritual lesson? Maybe? As I think about it, my youngest niece presented us with a great truth today.

When I asked what her favorite part of “Ant Kamp” was so far, she said:

 
Being with you!



And that’s the truth: God’s favorite part is being with us.

Photos from the last three days of “Ant Kamp”



 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
Posted on by kelrohlf 10

Solitude: The Quality or State of Being Alone

[Jesus] said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. (Mark 6:31b-32)

The Intuition Diaries

Solitude has become something I highly value. As a very active person, and one who isn’t very comfortable with being alone, it is hard for me to believe that I crave solitude. I am not talking about loneliness; I have never liked being lonely. I was lonely at times as a child, so I escaped to my imagination. I was lonely as a single woman in the Air Force, and so surrounded myself with people. I have been lonely as a wife and mother, which may be surprising, but it is a very real ache. In these lonely times, ultimately God draws me close and whispers, “I will never leave nor forsake you.” Solitude tunes me in to the Spirit and refreshes my soul.

While we were in Sister Bay, I was graced with some extended time to pursue solitude. Les was off on a bike ride in search of the famed Door Country dried cherries, so I walked over to the beach to write and sketch in my journal.

 

When the shops opened, I decided to browse. In the past, I might have been reluctant to go by myself or I would have been towing around two children. I have to admit, I didn’t mind being alone.

I embarked on a treasure hunt for unusual souvenirs. First, I went to the Ace Hardware store to see if I could find some insulated mugs for cold drinks. They didn’t have those, but they did have an ice pick. I bought it for Les. (The ice gets stuck together after awhile in the cooler, and I wanted him to be able to get some ice cubes apart to put in the mugs I had hoped to find.) I giggled to myself when I left the hardware store, what would people think of me carrying around a single ice pick? (I recently read a murder mystery, and my mind tucked this away as a kernel of an idea for a murder mystery. Murder by ice pick…hmmm.) I continued on down the block in search of the town library.

At the library, I picked up the free “Door County” tourist guides. On my way there I noticed a sign for a rummage sale, so I walked over to it. Bonus! This was turning out to be a wonderful morning. I found a couple things (a vintage hardcover novel to make into a journal cover). It was a great sale, but I knew better than to bring back too much; space is limited on a boat.

Next I found a collage art gallery/shop, where I bought some ephemera for my own collage attempts. I had to stop in the used bookstore next door. I bought The Big Year, a fictionalized story about birding on CD for us to listen to while we bounced across the lake. I quickly ran into Al Johnson’s (the restaurant with the goats on the grass roof) to get some postcards. My last stop was Secondhand Sue’s, a resale shop. And you are not going to believe it…the first thing I saw was two oversized insulated cups ($2 each) in the window…for our iced drinks! My morning was complete.
 
 

We left Sister Bay for a totally different setting that afternoon. We headed over to Rock Island, which has Wisconsin’s oldest lighthouse on it. We went from the bustle of small town to the solitude of nature. We were able to rent a spot at the State Park dock. It is a first come, first serve operation, so we were fortunate to be the first boat to arrive.

After arriving on the island, we hiked the path to see the lighthouse. From the streets of Sister Bay to the tree shaded path of Rock Island. Both settings lent themselves to different kinds of solitude. In the morning, I had the adventure of finding treasures. In the afternoon, I treasured the adventure of climbing to the top of my first lighthouse.

Pottawatomie Lighthouse

 
 

 

On the way back down the path, Les and I walked in silence, which is very unusual for me. I just wanted to see what it was like to walk silently. Our silence was broken by Les asking a question, and then passing a young family on the path. They were looking for a pileated woodpecker. The woman and I fell into pace together and struck up a conversation. Les walked with the husband and the kids.

The family had been at the lighthouse, and the one son wanted a souvenir pin from the shop. It had a lighthouse on it that lights up. I had bought four to bring home. I decided when we saw the family to give them a pin. The mom was delighted. We ended up visiting with them and showing them our boat, while they waited for the ferry to take them back to Washington Island.

Solitude isn’t always about being alone; it’s sharing your aloneness with one another. I had been concerned about being away from “sisters” on this trip.  My husband and I are great companions, and he graciously listens to me chatter, but it was nice to have a “sister” to visit with that afternoon. (I’m sure it amazes some men how easily women connect. Frankly, it’s a gift that I cherish.) The night before in Sister Bay, this couple pulled up into the slip next to us. Immediately, the wife and I were laughing and poking jokes at our husbands. Each husband had been held hostage by our “self-analysis” talk during the day. Her husband got a kick out of that comment; he knew exactly what I was talking about. The guys were glad to let us chat, while they shared boat stories.

There’s a time for society, and there’s a time for solitude.
Posted on by kelrohlf 5