Solitude is More than Separation

By Beau Crosetto

Often times when we think about getting some solitude we think about getting some free space to do our own thing. We just need that hour to unwind, relax and catch our breath. But this is not what solitude is at all.

The last two days I took a retreat with a few of my friends to step back and reflect on the year and how God has been moving.

I love these times because it gives me a chance to soak up all that God has been up to and not just move on. It also allows me to address problem areas with him and let him shape me more into his image.

One of the things I did on this retreat is re-read through Henri Nouwen’s great book The Way of the Heart.

The first part of the book is all about solitude and just what it really is. Here is a great quote from the book that struck me.

What I am taking away as a an apostolic and evangelistic leader is that I need more space with God alone so he can “convert” me further into his image.

Solitude is not about being alone or having your own time. Solitude is more than seperation. As Nouwen puts it, it is about conversion. It is about going from death to life in the presence of the living God. Often times we need alone time, away from the world and all its voices to let God speak freshly and lead us into conversion again.

If you are anything like me then you are flying 100 mph and have tons going on. Dreams, visions, meetings and relationships. Some of the things are great and stroke your ego, and some of them are bad and damage it. You need the solitude with God so both inflations and deflations can be converted in Christ and you can continue to find your grounding in Him.

We as APE leaders live a dangerous line. On one hand we are some of the most catalytic leaders in the church, but on the other had we have a huge temptation to find our identity in what we are doing.

My hope for you is that you will cultivate silence and solitude in your life and make tons of room for the Holy Spirit to convert you on an ongoing basis.