[This post is part of a series called Rooted. Find the other posts here]
“What can I do to try and stay healthy?” I asked my doctor during my annual physical check-up. His reply, “ Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, exercise, get adequate sleep, and keep an eye on your cholesterol, weight, and blood pressure.”
This is standard advice that is easy to remember though sometimes harder to follow.
What can an apostle, prophet, or evangelist do to stay vital and connected to God? Or put another way, what are the fruits and vegetables for the soul? Here is advice from three respected soul doctors:
Dallas Willard
In my opinion the most important spiritual discipline for today’s Christian leader is to spend regular time in solitude and silence.
Jim Wallis
Action without reflection can easily become barren and even bitter. Without the space for self examination and the capacity for rejuvenation, the danger of exhaustion and despair is too great. Contemplation confronts us with the questions of our identity and power. Who are we? To whom do we belong? Is there a power greater than ours? How can we know it? Our drivenness must give way to peacefulness, and our anxiety to joy. So concerned with effectiveness, we learn to be content with faithfulness. Strategy grows into trust, success into obedience, planning into prayer.
Henry Nouwen
Solitude is where spiritual ministry begins. That is where Jesus listened to the Father. That is where we listen to God. And as we listen we hear that we are beloved by God and we see that others are beloved by God and we can call that forth.
A Diet that Includes Solitude and Silence
Solitude and silence settle our mind and rejuvenate our spirit. It’s like pulling off on the freeway to a rest area. Silence and solitude help us to relax, evaluate the map of where we are going, attend to our physical, emotional, and spiritual needs, and eliminate those things in our life that hinder us from following Jesus more fully. Without the discipline, we become increasingly fatigued and superficial.
We also have a pesky habit of making ourselves the center of the universe. Solitude and silence, when practiced on a regular basis, return us to the feet of Jesus where we belong. That is the place of authority, clarity, and conviction.
Finally, most of us are paid to produce words either through speech or in writing. Words are powerful and the more we use and the better we use them, the more powerful we feel. But it’s a law of diminishing returns. The more words we use the cheaper they become. Silence, however is the doorway to awe and wisdom. “The Lord is in his holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before him.”
Getting Practical
The academic year is about to start. Consider you make this spiritual discipline part of your diet. Here is one suggestion—The Monthly Making Space for God Day. These steps will help you make it happen:
1. Ask a friend to join you for the day. Unless you are Mr. or Ms. Super Self-Discipline, you will have a hard time following through on the plan. Doing the retreat day with someone else will increase your odds. If you are an extrovert, doing the day with someone else, even if you spend the time by yourself, will give you someone else to process and pray with at the end of the day. Introverts benefit from the same thing. As an introvert, I have no problem spending time alone, but I do struggle with prayer because my mind wanders. A prayer partner creates accountability and helps me with focus.
2. Reserve the date in your calendar. Block out 10:00am to 3:00pm.
3. Download a retreat guide. Here are some that I have written.
4. The night before, pack a lunch if needed, organize your materials, and get to bed at a decent hour. There is nothing worse than blocking out a day to pray, but then showing up so tired that you can keep your eyes open.
5. At the end of the day schedule your next retreat. Like eating fruits and vegetables, the benefit will reveal itself over time as the habit is incorporated into the routine of your life.
Keep eating those fruits and vegetables. You body and soul will thank you!
[This post is part of a series called Rooted. Find the other posts here]
Sign up to receive our blog posts via e-mail and get instant access to our APE Library with videos, seminars, leaders notes, and more.
