Getting alone...

"When God gets us alone through suffering, heartbreak, temptation, disappointment, sickness, or by thwarted desires, a broken friendship, or a new friendship— when He gets us absolutely alone, and we are totally speechless, unable to ask even one question, then He begins to teach us.

As you journey with God, the only thing He intends to be clear is the way He deals with your soul. The sorrows and difficulties in the lives of others will be absolutely confusing to you. We think we understand another person’s struggle until God reveals the same shortcomings in our lives.

Are we alone with Him now? Or are we more concerned with our own ideas, friendships, and cares for our bodies? Jesus cannot teach us anything until we quiet all our intellectual questions and get alone with Him." (Oswald Chambers)

As I make my annual resolutions and goals for this year, it is easy to get caught up in so much other than the truly important...time with God. As my life becomes increasingly busy with a new job, a new kid on the way, 2 zany boys, and a beautiful wife...time alone becomes something I have to be very intentional about. I think about times in my life when I have ventured into the supposed loneliness of solitude...backpacking, walking, running, listening to music. Those times have been indelibly marked in my mind as moments of significance.

This Sunday at church our pastor, Ben, talked about some key principles to live by this new year that I plan to embrace: abandon annually, measure monthly, withdraw weekly, divert daily. This plan should help me make sure I find the space for solitude this new year.