Silence & Solitude

This article originally appeared at beltonchurch.com/refresh.

We live in the Age of Interruption. We have access to the entire world in a smartphone that fits in our pocket, but we’re also shackled by its ability to interrupt our lives.

We live in the Age of Busyness. We have packed schedules, filled not only with work but also with pleasure. In this culture, we can have so much fun, it’s exhausting!

The spiritual disciplines of silence and solitude call us to something different. Not merely a rest from activity, but rest from busyness. We quiet ourselves and our world so that we can listen for God.

Here are some ways you can cultivate silence & solitude:

1. Take advantage of your daily “moments of solitude”—as you first wake up in the morning, your commute to work, a time after the kids are in bed. Instead of filling that moment with media…let silence speak.
2. Find a time and space to intentionally retreat. Turn off your phone and rest. If your brain is still filled with anxiety or things to do, bring a journal and write down those thoughts, knowing you can revisit them after this time is done.
3. Fast from media—smartphones, TV, etc.—for a time.
4. During your prayer time, spend some of that time in pure silence, resting in God’s love and listening.