Being With Jesus: Solitude and SilenceSample

Does Your Personality Type Impact How You Practice Solitude and Silence?

Jesus routinely slipped away to a quiet, solitary place to pray and commune with the Father. In this, He provides an example of the importance of practicing solitude and silence.

But does whether you are an introvert or extrovert impact how you might practice solitude and silence in your day-to-day life?

Absolutely it does!

If you are an introvert like me, practicing spiritual disciplines like solitude, silence, sabbath, and slowing comes naturally. On the contrary, when I fellowship with other people, I lose energy and need to be alone to recharge. Spending an hour each morning in solitude and silence—praying and meditating on God's Word—is the best part of my day, and I wouldn't miss it for the world! And the idea of spending a weekend alone with just me and God at a local retreat center sounds terrific.

But for all my extrovert friends out there, you thrive on spiritual disciplines like worship, celebration, service, and hospitality. You are a gracious host, quick to encourage, exude joy, and gain energy from being with others.

However, spending an extended amount of time each day in solitude might be more than you can take. And if I invited you to come along on my silent weekend retreat, you would probably be climbing the walls trying to escape after a few hours.

The reality is everyone needs some amount of solitude and silence. Still, depending on your personality, the practice of solitude and silence in your day-to-day life will likely look very different, and that's perfectly ok. However, please allow me to push you a bit in this area. The amount of solitude and silence you need in your life is likely more than what you are currently comfortable with.

Today, take a minute to pray about what solitude and silence might look like for you based on how God has uniquely wired you.