I am a person who thrives on relationships. I enjoy being around people...well, most people. To be alone is punishment. As a child, being sent to my room was almost worse than being spanked. There are times I've had enough of people and need to get away, but that is short lived.
Solitude is God's healing time. Away from noise, distractions, to do lists, and projects, God has the opportunity to work on my soul. In the middle of the night I woke to this reality. God was working in his unknown ways to raise questions I did not want to answer. He made me face challenges I had buried deep. He asked me to work through moments I had tucked away.
I won't write about those questions and situations specifically, however they deal with people from my past who continue to haunt my present life. As a relational person, people affect me more than situations. People can bring hurts and frustrations as well as joy and energy.
As I share this, I do not want sympathy. Prayers are wonderful. I simply am sharing God's healing process for me.
At times I have allowed people to cause me to erect walls and protective barriers to keep similar accidents from taking place in my soul. At times I have allowed my heart to become hard to what God wants to teach me in those moments. At times I have blamed Him for allowing such situations to be in my life.
Last night, God dealt with me in those areas. Job said it best, "naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised." Job 1:21
God is still good regardless of whether I see it or acknowledge it. It is healthier for me to praise God when those "taken away" moments happen, but it is my choice. That is why solitude and rest are essential for healing and reflection. But it is easier to keep running. Oh, it is easier to keep running, but at some point it catches up.
So this process is healing. May you find a time of solitude so God can bring healing to your soul. Don't think you need it...go for a walk with God and let him show you the way.
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