Even extraverts need regular times of solitude to stay spiritually healthy. Ian Marcus Corbin, philosopher and research fellow at Harvard Medical School, reminds us:
“…Befriending oneself is a prerequisite for becoming a true friend to others. We do this by sitting quietly alone, coming to terms with who and what we are, forging some order out of the riot of thoughts, fears and desires that rages in our heads. [Unfortunately] …now our various screens and speakers furnish ever-present mental and emotional stimulation, which displace the work of self-confrontation.”[1]
In seeking God’s heart regarding a healthy work-life balance, I’ve had to wrestle with the value of what some traditions call a “quiet time,” or “devotions.” Although I’ve left the legalism of the “have you done your Quiet Time Diary today?” of my youth,[2] this quote by George Mueller (1805-1898), the great man of prayer, has helped restore my faith in a regular time of Bible reading and prayer:[3]
“I saw more clearly than ever, that the first and primary business to which I ought to attend every day was, to have my soul happy in the Lord. The first thing to be concerned about was not, how much I might serve the Lord; how I might glorify the Lord; but how I might get my soul into a happy state, and how my inner man may be nourished… I saw that the most important thing I had to do was to give myself to the reading of the Word of God and to meditation on it.”[4]
Mueller’s perspective illustrates well the truth of Romans 15:4: “Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled.” (NLT, emphasis mine)
Besides the spiritual refreshment that can come from personal devotions and worship with friends at church, here are nine other types of rest to consider:
- “Time away
- Permission to not be helpful
- Something ‘unproductive’
- Connection to art and nature
- Solitude to recharge
- A break from responsibility
- Stillness to decompress
- Safe space
- Alone time at home”[5]
***Pause here to reflect and identify one or two of the above that you need the most of right now. How might you build more of these into your life in the next week, month, or year? If these questions are not easily answered, consider asking a friend for their honest perspective and counsel. If you’re married, consider asking your spouse what he or she might need and how you might you help them.
[1] https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/01/22/technology-covid-pandemic-friendship/
[2] The Quiet Time (QT) Diary was a practical resource from Word of Life that was slavishly implemented in the “rules without relationship” religious culture of my childhood. In that context, if you had your daily QT, you got spiritual brownie points and were part of the spiritual elite.
[3] George Muller, Director of the Ashley Down orphanage in Bristol, England, spent his life caring for more than 10,000 orphans.
[4] Autobiography of George Mueller, comp. Fred Bergen (London: J. Nisbet, 1906), 152-154.
[5] https://ninetypes.co/blog/nine-types-of-rest