True You: Finding Beauty In AuthenticitySample

Solitude in the Desert

Much of our time spent with God seems to be spent talking and sharing our grocery list of needs and wants. Our prayer lives get cluttered with sentences like, “God, help me with this.” “Lord, will you work in this situation?” Then we wrap it up with, “May your will for my life be done—but don’t forget what I’ve just said.”

I think about the neighborhood ice cream truck that performs its rounds on hot summer days. The bell rings as we hear the driver entering our neighborhoods, and kids and adults alike run out into the street. Excitement fills the air as we place our orders and await the distribution of a cool treat.

Imagine if, after placing our order, the driver handed us something other than our requested chocolate-dipped, vanilla swirl treat on a stick. What if he gave us something very specific to our needs, something he saw necessary for our life that we didn’t realize? Our excitement and joy would quickly be extinguished and may even be replaced with frustration or anger.

What if we changed tactics when it came to our prayer life? What if we chose to recognize that we have two ears and one mouth for a reason? What if, instead of doing and talking during our time with God, we quieted ourselves, stilled our minds, and listened? 

We live in a day and age where our attention jumps from one thing to another. We dance through subjects, have several tabs open on our computer, and can’t locate where the sound of music is coming from. We barely listen to a full song anymore; we jump, change, turn on, and turn off quicker than we can say our own names. Stillness is something we must rediscover, and through stillness we are able to hear and embrace the goodness that God has for us.