Being Challenge Kids: An 11-Day Challenge to Be Like JesusSample

Habit 4: Jesus Stops for Solitude

Jesus was very busy, always surrounded by sick people. So, when Jesus was alone, He had to choose to be alone.

“But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed,” says Luke 6:12.

• solitary—being alone
• withdrew—to remove or take away something from a particular place
• lonely—without companions, solitary

As you can see, “lonely” doesn’t mean “sad” in this verse. It means being somewhere without anyone else around. So, Jesus prayed often, more than once a day, and He prayed in places where He could be alone.

Have you ever been in time out as a punishment? A time out means being alone by yourself for a certain amount of time. It means being out of the fun.

Being alone is also a punishment for adults. If prisoners don’t follow the rules in jail, they might end up in solitary confinement. They have to sit in a prison cell all alone for days. They don’t even see people when they get their food. Their food is slipped in through a little door. Solitary confinement can make prisoners feel sad, anxious, and depressed. It can even make people feel sick. It’s a terrible punishment. God created us to be around other people. Therefore, we need friends and others.

So, if quiet rooms and solitary confinement can drive us crazy, why was stopping for solitude necessary? Isn’t that like putting yourself in time out? Solitude is not a time-out. It’s a TIME IN with God. Remember, solitude is about more than just being alone. Solitude is about being alone with God. When we practice solitude, it isn’t a punishment that we have to do. It’s time together with God that we want to do.

When God is in relationship with us, we are never really ever alone. He is always with us.

Spending time alone with God may be difficult at first, but the more we do it, the more we can learn to enjoy it.

Challenge: Try some solitude right now. Find a comfortable place and try to think about the phrase, “fixing our eyes on Jesus.” Have an adult set a timer for one minute or set a timer on your device. How did it go? Could you make it the entire sixty seconds? Could you go longer?

Don’t get discouraged if your mind wanders. This is not an easy thing to do. The goal is to remove all distractions—music, books, and even naps. Just sit quietly with your eyes open—or closed, as long as you don’t fall asleep. Listen for God. Imagine Him right in front of you, looking at you with love.