Quiet Place

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Maybe it is unnatural. Maybe it is the small family from which I came. Maybe it is just my personality. Whatever it is, the fact remains: I really like being alone. Crowds overwhelm me; large groups exhaust me, and more often than not, I find myself needing breaks.

Don’t get me wrong, I do love social times where family and friends can get together and simply enjoy one another. I love a great game and I really love a good movie (ahem…Twilight). But, at the end of the day, my favorite time is my quiet time.

Yes, this mentality has gotten me into trouble on more than once occasion. My need for privacy and seclusion are not always “people pleasing” qualities. But, what can I do? I like time to just be alone with my thoughts. I like time to be responsible for nothing and I really like times of little expectations and even smaller amounts of effort.

So, you can imagine, when I really started following Christ and learning about how much He valued His quiet time…I was completely on board.

Mark 6:31
“Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place…” – NIV

The person who does not get alone with Jesus is sure to have difficulty as His disciple. This time of prayer and reflection is an essential element for spiritual growth. It is in these quiet times that Jesus refreshes us.

When we read of Jesus’ time alone with His father, we can easily see that these are His times of closeness. The times that He had alone with God guided Him and strengthened Him for His mission at hand.

Quiet times are times of growth. The things that we learn in the calmness of Christ are the very things that will sustain us in the storms ahead.