Positively Good Productions

Some people cannot be alone.

They feel left out and fearful when they are alone.

They feel the need to fit in somewhere.

 As a result, they become emotionally attached to

people, things, and experiences.

One will only try in vain to fill

 the inner void in their heart and 

soul with everyone and 

everything around them. 

However, there is a vacuum... 

a void in the heart of every man 

which cannot be filled by any

 created thing.

This infinite abyss can only be filled

by God Himself.

A hole with no bottom.

Some people must always have others around them. 

This is the quality that makes them feel validated.  

They assume group-derived and group-dependent 

identities as they progress from scene to scene in

 social life.

Many people live their lives without ever reflecting

on life itself or its meaning for them.

The contemporary self seeks celebrity and connectivity

as a way of being seen by others and becoming known.

Their goal is to be recognized, visible and connected;

however, most still come up empty...

and remain untrue to themselves. 

 Some live exclusively in relation to others,

and what dissipates from their lives is...

solitude.

Imagine how life would be if we all put as 

much energy into developing a loving 

relationship with God and ourselves... as 

we do in our relationships with others.

Some people are naturally inclined

to spend time alone with themselves. 

While, others cringe at the thought. 

When our minds are busy and distracted

with things of the outside world,

 our state is one of continual questioning.

 It is one of response and reaction.

  Inner "noise" can be just as troublesome

as outside noise when it comes to having

quiet time with God.  

Preparing our hearts to hear from God

requires a focused effort. Noise, whether 

outside or inside, distracts us. 

Focus is always found 

at the feet of God.

"But Martha was distracted by her many tasks;

so she came to the Lord and asked,

‘Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all

the work by myself?

Tell her then to help me.' But the Lord answered her,

‘Martha, Martha, 

you are worried and distracted by many things;

there is need of only one thing.

Mary has chosen the better part,

which will not be taken away from her.'"

Luke 10: 40-42

The Lord gently rebuked Martha because

 she had forgotten what was important.

In order for God to speak to us, 

we need to be in His presence

listening for His voice.

Every day God wants relationship-building time 

with us, which means our highest priority must be...

time at His feet, in His presence.

Making time for daily devotion is critical to 

hearing God! A time of Devotion and Prayer

is something to be taken seriously... and

 requires time. 

The dictionary defines Devotion as “the fact 

or state of being ardently dedicated and loyal.”

Using that definition,we should seek to grow

 even more devoted to God than we are to

 anything or anyone else. 

When we are running around, doing things, 

talking all the time and never getting 

comfortable enough to be quiet in His 

presence, it is difficult to come into that 

relationship which God has called us

to be in.

Being alone can be a very positive state of 

being. Being alone is an opportunity... not a 

curse. Nothing much happens in the quiet 

zone, at least from the outsider's perspective.  

People in the quiet zone often say that they 

need a few days, or even longer, alone just 

to think - or pray or meditate.  

Without the old definitions of the world

and our accustomed activities to fall back on,

time in the quiet zone can create substantial

 introspection and heightened self-awareness. 

 We can only be ourselves if we are often by 

ourselves. Spending time alone allows us 

to delight ourselves in God. Out of this quiet 

time can emerge intuitions and insights which

 provide the recipe for new  beginnings. 

Alone time gives us an opportunity for

 reflection, contemplation and self-assessment.

In essence we get to know ourselves better. We 

come to know who we are and Whose we are.  

Solitude gives one time to examine the course of one's life,

to reacquaint oneself with the nature of one's inner self,

and to think of ways to have one's dreams come true.  

What most people can agree on is that

love blooms from within.

In the silence of the heart we are able to recognize 

the reservoir of rich love within. This quiet, timeless

 space creates a state where our being can become 

more expansive, and yet include the reservoir of

 that rich love within us. 

We can look within to find the treasure. As our 

awareness expands, we are able to tap into the

reservoir of our being and identify the rich love

that lies within.  We can, then, reclaim the love

that we thought was outside of ourselves.    

Solitude can bring us to a state of gentle peace.

The pure silence is a transforming peace in itself. 

  Solitude is a time that can be used for listening to God.

 "For God alone my soul

waits in silence."

-Psalm 62:1

  A few moments in quiet prayer...

can be all that we need for our day to be

 transformed from one of disorder to 

beauty and order.

Solitude is the state of being 

alone without being lonely.

 Solitude is a positive and constructive state 

of engagement with oneself.

 Solitude is desirable, it is a state of being alone

where we provide ourselves wonderful

and sufficient company. 

Jesus prayed for guidance

in places of quiet solitude.

We often look for external signs to guide us

into a beginning, but our inner attitudes toward 

life, our renewed self-knowledge and our intuition

are really the hallmarks of our new beginnings.

By relying on our inner voice to tell us where

 to go in life, we are likely to have more motivation

than if we were to depend on the expectations

provided to us by others. 

If we are enslaved with outside love, we are 

bound to live like an unexpected mishap. 

 Solitude is a state of being alone without 

being lonely and can lead to self-awareness. 

Seeking and enjoying solitude helps us to

take care of our souls.  

Quiet time allows us to do the things 

we want to do and the things we love, 

without any compromise.

Alone time allows us to exhale and relax.

It allows us to get a fresh perspective.  

Getting away from others can regenerate

the inner self. When we need to escape 

the world we can turn to solitude for help.

Some may say we are crazy, but solitude 

does not judge. Instead, solitude will sit 

and listen to all our thoughts and dreams.

 Time alone gives us the opportunity

to pray, listen, ponder and plan.

Alone time allows us to get to the heart

of what we really need and think as opposed 

to being told or influenced by others and their 

opinions.

 A few moments of absolute quiet is like

 a breath of fresh air. It gives us the 

opportunity to breathe in new life.

Quiet time involves an inner state of being...

as well as an outward condition.

 Jesus regularly took time to be alone 

with His Father in prayer.

Giving ourselves the ability to be alone

allows us to have a greater appreciation

for the time we spend with others. It is 

important to find some balance in this;

and once we do, we will enjoy our

 relationships even more.

 Being alone is one of the great treasures

 in life. Learning to accept solitude, allows

 us to truly be with someone else... and 

have it mean something. 

It is only through spending time getting

 to know ourselves that we can become

 whole. 

 If we follow Jesus' example...

if we can experience silence and aloneness 

without being overpowered by the urge to 

find distractions... then we can be free from

 culture in order to change culture in a 

powerful way... as Jesus did. 

We need quiet times because we need God.

God is the One who makes sense of life for us,

in times of crisis or calm.

  The next time you are finding it difficult

to get away from the noise and get alone with God,

remember who is standing in your way.

Then remember 

Who is greater!

In solitude, we withdraw from people, noise, cell phones,

e-mails and text messages... all the stimulation of life

to be with God.

We get away from all of the arenas in our lives, 

all of our roles, all of the people who are either 

cheering us on or telling us where we ought

 to do something differently. We get away 

from all of that to just be alone 

with God."

Everywhere we go, even in our own homes,

there is some kind of noise to distract us,

from telephones, to televisions, to traffic.

But making time for daily devotion is 

critical to hearing God!