The Seclusion of Our Heart, March 22

"Solitude is the furnace of transformation."(Nouwen, p. 103) What a powerful statement! Also, what a powerful indictment against our twenty-first century way of life! Many are willing to step away from the crowd for a moment or two, but to shut out the noises and distractions, not only of the world around us, but also the ones we clutch tightly in our own hands, is something we are less willing to do. Solitude before God can be an uncomfortable thing. To sing a hymn of praise, to verbalize our prayers, to write a check for a worthy cause or listen to a preacher or teacher speak from God's word are things we readily do as expressions of faith. But to be quiet, to listen, to ponder, to be still before God...that is something altogether different. Nouwen calls solitude the "place of great struggle and great encounter." We welcome the encounter, but would prefer less struggle. Yet, the struggle often is what draws us closer to the encounter or is at the very heart of the encounter. As God looks at the heart (I Sam 16:7), God sees, embraces, and love, all that you are. "Be still, and know that I am God." (Psalm 46:10)

JKA