A DAY OF SOLITUDE
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.
