Soul CareSample

Sunlight For Your Soul

As apprentices of Jesus, one of our biggest challenges is to dial down the noise and busyness of our lives. We long for more peace, joy, and rest – but our days are lived at breakneck speed, filled with activity and distraction. We’re exhausted.

This soul weariness isn’t unique to our generation, and Jesus isn’t surprised by it. He created and modelled a rhythm of rest. ‘Come to Me,’ He said, ‘all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and my burden is light.’ (Matthew 11:28–30 NIV)

What’s more, Jesus Himself faced the overwhelming demands of a noisy, needy, negative world. But if you look closely at His lifestyle rhythms, you’ll notice He habitually snuck away to quiet, isolated places, starting on His very first day of (hectic) ministry. Jesus didn’t fill every moment of every day, doing His Father’s work. He understood the importance of simply being with His Father, through the practice of silence and solitude.

If Jesus saw this as an essential, transformative habit, how much more should we prioritize and practise it? And then, what do silence and solitude even look like?

Charles Duhigg suggests three necessary steps for habit formation: a cue leads to a routine which ends in a reward. So, when developing a habit of silence and solitude:

1. Decide on a time. What will work best for you? This will be your cue.
2. Discover your place. Is there a peaceful spot where interruption is unlikely? This will help make the practice a routine.
3. Delight in God’s love for you. This will be your reward.

Next you might ask, ‘How do I delight in God’s love?’ Perhaps pick a word or phrase that reminds you of God’s love. When you’re sitting in silence, and your thoughts begin to wander, use that word or phrase to re-center your mind on God. I tend to say things like Jesus, Abba, or Here I am Lord.

Remember: everyone’s different. Don’t compare your practice of silence and solitude to somebody else’s. You might sit for two minutes outside. Someone else might choose ten minutes inside. Start small. See how it goes. Don’t focus on perfectly practicing silence and solitude. Focus on God’s presence. Your silence and solitude ‘muscles’ will strengthen over time.

Just like you can’t see what sunlight is doing to plants in a garden, you won’t always see what silence and solitude are doing to your soul. But through the miracle of photosynthesis, plants receive their nutrients from the sun, and a similar soul-feeding miracle takes place through this practice too. Silence and solitude feed your soul by giving you space and room to breathe, and by allowing you to stop for long enough to simply be – and hear the voice of your Father.