A Day of Solitude

A DAY OF SOLITUDE

 

 

 

What comes to your mind when you think of the word solitude?  Have you ever taken an entire 24 hours as a day of rest and solitude to seek God?  What do you believe the benefits would be? 

As part of the leadership matters course that I just finished we spent one 24 hour period of time in solitude.  We didn't talk to anyone.  We had the freedom (without guilt) to sleep in or take a nap, jump in the swimming pool, go for a walk, etc.  The purpose was to seek God in a special way and to well, just rest.  How important it is in our very busy lives to take time out to rest and seek God!  I want to encourage all of you to do this as well.  I'm committed to doing it once a month.  I don't want to be at the place of burnout like I was the beginning of this year.  That is not from God.  Jesus calls us to take up His burden because His burden is light and easy and He promises that we WILL find rest for our souls. 

This water is very stagnant.  Our lives can become stagnant when we're not seeking God (although we may still be having our daily devotions) and resting in Him

These leaves are a clear picture of what it looks like to be connected to the vine.  They are vibrant and alive.  We need to examine our inner man on a regular basis and ask ourselves if we are living and vibrant and connected to the vine.  Jesus said "Abide in me and I will abide in you.  Apart from me you can do nothing."

This is a picture of something that is still alive, but starting to decay.  It's not getting enough nourishment from the vine.  I've noticed in my own life that when I start to be like this leaf spiritually, I don't even realize until I'm much browner than this leaf.

Notice how the branches hanging down from the tree are brown and appear not to have a lot of life even though the tree is still alive?  When we isolate ourselves from others like this rock is isolated from the rest of it's environment, we start wasting away little by little. 

This second picture is a close up of the tree in the first picture.  How many blessings do we miss out on because we're not really looking or watching or waiting expectantly on God for those blessings.  We're so busy going about our daily routine that we miss these wonderful things that God has for us along the way.

We are to be a clear reflection of God's glory. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How to sum up 5 months in the USA?  That is the question before me.  In the 12 years I’ve been in Thailand, this is the longest I’ve been back in the States.  Before coming back to the USA, I prayed for a car and for money to sightsee around AZ, and to see many things that I haven’t seen in a very long time.  In the end, I didn’t sightsee around AZ, but God took me to CA and to CO and I saw things I have never seen before.  God far surpassed my expectations!!

New and wonderful cultures, (if I may be so bold as to use the word culture) I’ve been introduced to: 

Duck Dynasty

Chihuly

 
 

God’s creation that I’d never before seen:

 

Redwoods

Lake Tahoe

Maroon Bells

garden of the gods

 

Glen Canyon

Independence Pass

Things I can now cross off my bucket list:
Milked a goat; got licked by a cow; fed squirrels from my hand;  
Rode the tram at Palm Springs, Sky Harbor Airport and the Phoenix Metro Tram
Billy Graham Library

Interesting tidbits:

After many of years of living with teenage girls in Thailand, I find myself relating more than I ever dreamed of with friends who have children of their own.  Who would’ve thought??

I got to share about Thailand with a Teen challenge group. 

I’ve shared about Thailand with twice as many groups as I ever have before, and God is working, even when we can’t see it.

I saw “God is not dead” and I now have a crush on Michael Tait of the Newsboys.

I’ve stayed at 13 different homes throughout these 5 months and each family I have stayed with has enriched my life in some way.  I’ve taken something away from each place I’ve stayed. 

A time of personal reflection is a good and profitable thing. 

My collection of postcards is increasing by the day.  I’m so happy!

Finally, after 2 days of tears, I learned how to use an I-pad. 

I have regained a sense of adventure and zest for life.  I’m excited about leaving my comfort zone, believe it or not.  I’ve learned more about HOW to rest in God.  I’ve learned that I can be busy and still be at peace in my heart.  My circumstances don’t need to control my emotions.  I CAN have victory over my emotions and my sin when I remember who God is and who I am in Christ. Christ has already won the victory on the cross.  The same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated Him at the right hand of God in the heavenly realms is available to me as His child.  I am adopted into His family and am co-heir with Christ.  But too often I forget that and dwell in my own little disgusting world, allowing free reign to my fleshly thoughts.  The apostle Paul said that we are to take captive every thought to the obedience of Christ and to let our thoughts dwell on things above.  All of those little irritations and frustrations of everyday life are minor in comparison to the glory that awaits us.  Oh God, let us truly be able to say from our hearts “It is well with my soul.”  

Let us wallpaper the walls of our minds with Scripture!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's been an amazing 2.5 months since being back in the States.  God's love and grace that He consistently pours out on us is overwhelming.  This is my first trip back "home" (our real home is in heaven and we are only strangers and sojourners here) in 4 years and the first time in the 12 years that I've been in Thailand that I've been back longer than 3 months.  I will be here for a total of 5 months, and I've been here for a 2.5 months already.  I pray that everyone who reads this will be blessed and encouraged to continue on in faith in our wonderful Lord Jesus Christ.  I personally have nothing to say, but I pray that God will take the few things that I do say to encourage each and every one of us.  God has allowed me to rest, relax and spend time with friends. 

Fellowship with many of you has been one of the highlights of this trip.  Getting to see where everyone is at and praying with you and for each other is a blessing.  The church is believers, not just a building, and it's been great to just be with the church and have fellowship, food and fun.  (I've already gained I don't know how much weight!  My clothes are not fitting anymore, and I know that when I go back to Thailand, they're all going to say "Susan, you're really fat!")  But the food has been out of this world!

I've spent 2 months in AZ and 2 weeks in North Carolina.  One of my goals while I'm here is to do things I've never done before.  We have a tendency to get in that rut of "same ol' same ol'" and forget that there is excitement and adventure out there if we only look for it. Never be afraid or to busy to do something new. I believe that God meant us to walk with Him on a daily basis and EXPECT Him to do new, great and wonderful things in our lives.  Our problem is that we aren't looking and we get sidetracked by many different things.  Here are a few of the NEW things that's happened to me and that I've done since being back:

milking a goat

Seeing alpacas up close and personal

riding both the Sky Harbor tram and the Phoenix metro tram (downtown Phoenix is an AMAZING place! 

Painting a house, or at least part of one!

Experiencing the Billy Graham center (library)

I was struck by how God can take an ordinary person who is humble and sold out for Jesus Christ and use him/her for God's glory in a great way.  God wants to use each of one of us right where we're at.  Are we willing to seek God's plan and His glory rather than our own??

For the first time since I was 12 years old, 2 of my brothers and my sister and I were in the same place at the same time.  Anyone who doesn't believe that God still works today, this is proof my friends.  Also, (unfortunately, no picture as of yet) my other brother (who is not pictured above) have renewed our relationship after 23 years of no contact whatsoever!  God does indeed work miracles!

 

 

As this tree provides a sort of covering for whoever, whatever is underneath it, so God provides a covering for us, shelters us from the storms of life.  But we can always decide on our own to walk away from the covering/protection that God provides.  We do that when we willfully sin, disobey God and seek our own path.  God's covering/protection is for our own good.  Under His shelter, we find safety, love and grace.

It's ok to be a little weird and different!!

The live tree is next to the dead tree.  The live tree is a picture of us clinging to Christ during the dry times while the dead tree is a picture of us apart from the Living Water. 

One of the things I have struggled with since being in Thailand, is that I always feel like I'm in a fishbowl.  Everyone watches everything I do and they see the good and bad.  I can't just be anonymous.  As I was admiring all of the beautifully colored and shaped fish in this aquarium, God spoke to me.  He told me that I'm to shine forth His glory to those around me so others can see God's light in me and admire Him just as I was admiring the fish.  An incredible sense of peace enveloped me as I sensed God's nearness and His presence with me.  He's right there with us through the calm and the storms. 

 

 

God reaches down to us (upper picture) and we reach up to Him - the picture of a personal relationship with Christ. 

The power of God is an incredible thing to behold!  God's power is the mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated Him at the place of honor at God's right hand in the heavenly places.  That is the same power that is available to us who believe Him!  Eph. 1

I love this sign!  You have to keep your sense of humor!!!!!!!!!

 

A big thank you to each of the churches that I've shared at or just visited!  I have been truly blessed to be part of the fellowship and to worship with you!  A big thank you to my coffee and 24 buddies.  You know who you are!  A big thank you to everyone who has opened their house to me!  Your hospitality is beyond description.  Thank you to 2 very special people who have sacrificed much of themselves and leant me their car to use for 2 of the 2 and a half months that I've been here.  A BIG thank you to everyone for the great food. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10

 

I was blessed to be able to attend the Wellspring retreat in Chiang Mai at The Horizon Resort.  It was a time to be renewed, refreshed, rest, relax, be recharged, and receive from God,  I confess that I have spent very little time over the last 3 years just spending time listening to God, and that's what we did for an entire week at the retreat.  This blog will be different from previous blog posts in that I want to share with you a few of the things that God spoke to my heart during that week in the hopes that it will encourage you to press on further with our precious Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and to seek Him in the quiet and stillness of your soul.  

 

 

When we are still, God gets the glory.  When we're still, we let God be God.  When we're NOT still we bring dishonor to His Name. When we're NOT still, we're trying to wrest control of our lives from God.

God lets us drink from His rivers of delight. .  Psalm 36:8

 

My spiritual life needs recharging like a fountain that keeps spewing water.  God will continue to pour into me so that I can continue to pour into others.  But when we're not still and silent before God, there's a plug somewhere in that fountain and the water (the Holy Spirit) doesn't pour out.

 

I am like this plant, bearing some beautiful fruit, some bare branches, but many times not bearing as much fruit as I could because I don't remain in the vine.  God is constantly at work pruning me so that I bear even more fruit. 

 

God is faithful and will lead me beside still waters.  He is my oasis in the desert. He restores my soul.

 

He hides me in the cleft of the rock.

He shows me the path I should walk.  He hems me in on the right and left.  There is safety here on the path.  "But for those who are righteous, the path is not steep and rough.  You are a God of justice and you smooth out the road ahead of them."  Isaiah 26:7

There are many twists and turns in our paths, and we don't always know the right way to take, and can't see ahead, but we trust in Him who has known us from the foundation of the world and for whom 1 day is like 1,000 years and 1,000 years are like 1 day. 

 

Ecclesiastes says there is a time for everything under the sun.  There is a time for planting and a time for uprooting.  We like it very much when God plants us, but when He uproots something in us or, it seems, everything in our lives, it's extremely painful.  But God uproots to plant something new and even more beautiful.  He is always at work in our lives.  Let us rest in whatever He is doing in our lives at this moment. 

Do you see the heart?  God shows us His love in many small ways each day.  Are we really seeing His love in these very tangible ways or are we so wrapped up in our own agenda that we forget how great the Father's love is for us. 

 

Just as the roots go down deep in these rocks, our roots need to be buried in Christ and then we will stand firm no matter what happens around us. 

 

God is the rock of my salvation.  I will NOT be moved.  It is a conscious decision to trust in God and to NOT be moved. 

This is just the cutest thing!  We all need someone to come alongside us and give us hugs and I experienced that in a big way with my fellow sisters at the retreat. 

God is the fountain of life.  Psalm 36:9

Where is our focus?  Is it inward or is it on the God who loves us and gave us life?  Is it on our problems or on God, who is the solution to everything? 

This is so precious to me because I've never seen a manger before in life, just imagined one, and as I saw this, 2 things came to mind:  1) The deer is resting, not striving.  2) Jesus humbled Himself and was born in a manger.  How can I NOT humble myself before Him?

Lighting lanterns the last night of the retreat

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."  James 1:17

 

 

 

May we all learn to rest our souls in God alone.