Solitude Practice Week 2
Encounter With Our Self
We often go into solitude tired and worn down by the stress and strain of life in the modern world, and we expect our time in solitude to be like a kind of day spa for the soul. And sometimes it is. But just as often, solitude can feel less like a day spa and more like a harrowing emotional surgery. Because we can get away from people, but we canât get away from our self. And often what we carry into solitude is our pain
Yet from Jesus we learn that to get free of our pain, we have to face our pain. On the evening before his crucifixion, in the garden of Gethsemane, we see Jesus go to the place of pain and meet God there. He gives God his feelings, his desires, and his trust. In solitude, we follow Jesusâ example. It is through this simple but difficult practice of noticing and naming our emotions before God in prayer, and offering them up to God in raw honesty, that we are deeply formed into the people God has always desired for us to become.
Below you will find steps to help you engage with this practice over the next four weeks, as well as resources for further exploration.
Ways to engage with the Solitude Practice
First and foremost, this practice (and all practices) are meant to be done in community. If you haven't yet, find a small group of people that are commited to walking through this practice together.
Download the Solitude Practice Guide. If you can, it is advised to print it out to reduce the distraction of our devices (Especially with this practice).
Gather with your group once a week to watch the Practicing the Way video found below. This will include questions for discussion, as well as a short teaching on that week's practice.
Step into each practice as much as you are able and feel comfortable to. This invitation is for everyone at all stages of life and faith.
Reflect on your experience of the practice using the reflection questions at the bottom of the guide and be prepared to share them the next time you gather with your group.
Recommended Reading
Invitation to Solitude and Silence by Ruth Haley Barton (Chapters 4-6)
Rule of Life Podcast
Solitude Practice Guide
Download the practice guide here
Week 2 Practice - Begin your day with solitude, but this time, notice and name your emotions
You may find this exercise works better for you at night before bed, midmorning when your toddler is napping, or on your lunch break; thatâs great. But for the vast majority of people, we recommend first thing in the morning, when your body is rested, your heart open, and the day is new.
Stepping into solitude is the same process as last week. However, once you feel you are centered in God's love, add these additional steps:
Begin to let yourself feel whatever is in you. Just notice it. Let the feeling be, then name the emotion.
Then pray Jesus' Gethsemane Prayer:
Give God your feelings. Tell Him what you are feeling, with no filter.
Give God your desires. Tell Him what you really want, good or bad.
Give God your trust. Surrender your heart again to him. Stop grasping for control and yield yourself to God and his will for your life. You may want to pray Jesusâ own prayer, âNot my will, but yours be done.â
Whenever youâre done, close your time with a simple prayer of gratitude to God for his presence, love, and goodness in your life.
Week 2 Reflection Questions
Before your next time together with the group for Week 2, take five minutes to journal out your answers to the following three questions about the practice:
How did your practice of solitude go this week?
Where did you experience resistance in solitude, whether external or internal?
In what ways did you encounter God in solitude?
