You are too busy not to schedule alone time. It sounds counter intuitive, but you are too busy to avoid alone time. It is often the first part of our schedule to go, but it should be intentionally planned for. For some being alone is a wonderful dream that seems out of reach and yet for our extroverts among us it may seem like a nightmare! For mothers with small kids this seems impossible or for those with the pressure of corporate jobs it may seem like advancement suicide. Certainly, it isn’t seen as necessary in the middle of our hustle culture. What if being alone actually was the fuel needed for everything else? What if it was the fuel God knows we need as mothers, fathers, employees, friends, parents, disciples of Jesus and neighbors who are worth living next too.
Tucked in between amazing accounts of miracles and teaching we see the gospel writers highlight that Jesus would withdraw intentionally to be alone. It wasn’t a hiding from others to catch a breath, but rather an intentional alone time with purpose. An alone time for prayer and silence with his heavenly Father.
When Jesus heard about it, he withdrew from there by boat to a remote place to be
alone… Matthew 14:13
And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone… Matthew 14:23
After he said good-bye to them, he went away to the mountain to pray. Mark 6:46
After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain by themselves to be alone. Mark 9:2
These are just a few examples when you read through the gospels of times Jesus pulled away intentionally. There is no apparent best time to be alone. We see early in the morning, in the afternoon and late at night. Sometimes he was completely alone and at other times he would take a few people with him. There was no formula, but certainly an example left for us to emulate. If following Jesus also means learning to live like he modeled then we certainly should find times to be alone.
In Matthew 14 we see this pattern show up very clearly twice. Jesus pulls away and then when he comes back, we see in verse 14, he “had compassion on them.” He miraculously feed over 5,000 people. Later in the chapter Jesus went into the mountains to pray alone and when he returned, he miraculously walked on water and invited Peter to join him. From a place of being alone with his Heavenly Father Jesus was in a healthy place to minister. How much more in need of proper solitude are we to actually met the demands of our life? Are you stressed? Overworked? Impatient with kids? When was the last time you were intentionally alone with your heavenly father? No TV, no social media, no distractions. Alone. Re-fueled.
Q. Why does being alone and quiet seem odd in our culture?
Q. What stands in the way for you to plan alone time in the next week? Open your calendar, plan a day or evening for alone time with God. Be intentional.