“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!”
Mark 1:35-37
I’ve probably read this verse or heard this verse hundreds of times. I’ve noticed and heard the “early morning, while it was still dark” part. I usually freeze after that though. Small confession: i haven’t done the early morning thing very often. Oh, I pray every morning. It’s typically something like, “Dear Lord please make this alarm clock shut up!”
But what if the “early” part isn’t the most important part? I think what comes next is the most challenging part. Solitary. Being alone is the challenge. Being alone to the point of “Everyone is looking for you.” We all have people that depend on us. We all have busy schedules. We all have responsibilities. We all have multiple devices that keep us connected. Do you ever have people say, “Everyone is looking for you.”? Are you ever completely disconnected?
In this world we live in, being disconnected does not come easy. Have you ever sat down to have a “moment”, and then suddenly you get the rapid fire texts? You know the person I’m talking about, it’s a sting of multiple texts in a row? Or, maybe you are 10 steps behind at work, all while trying to balance family. It’s hard to disconnect, but I submit it might be the most important of all spiritual disciplines. I know prayer is important, Bible study is important, worship, and church are important. No argument here. But, unless we are alone at some point, have we really made a connection with God? Jesus made “solitary” a priority, and He was the Son of God.
Here are a few practical tips I’ve picked up over the years:
- IT CAN WAIT: Seriously, the rapid fire texter can wait. If it’s not an emergency, it can wait. If you always reply immediately, you will always have to reply immediately.
- BOUNDARIES: If you’ve never heard this, it is OK to say no. As a matter of fact it’s required. If you let others suck your time and emotions and energy, you’ll be left with nothing. Take time for yourself.
- BE INTENTIONAL: Make solitary an intentional act. Tell the people you love that you need the time. They should understand. Plus, it’ll make you stronger and healthier.
- BE CREATIVE: I get it, life happens. Sometimes days and weeks and months are crazy. Do you have a little time in the car alone? Use that time wisely. Is it just before everyone wakes? Is it late at night? Creatively find alone times.
- PRIORITIZE THE IMPORTANT: most of us have long “to do” lists. That’s fine, that’s normal. But, you alone can set the priorities on this list. Make yourself and alone time a top priority.
- TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR SCHEDULE: If you don’t control your schedule, someone else will. If you’re already way behind, and you allow more and more assignments and responsibilities to pile on, you will never catch up. Once again “boundaries”.
- DON’T FEEL GUILTY: This one needs to be said especially to the “people pleasers”. You have permission to take time for yourself. You don’t ALWAYS have to be there for everyone. As a matter of fact, if you don’t take time, you will burn out. You will stress out. Taking alone time is healthy and necessary, don’t feel guilty.
It’s OK to be disconnected. We don’t have to be available all the time. Even Jesus disconnected from the people. If that means hiding, then so be it. If that means turning off all devices, then so be it. Take solitary time to connect with God.