We’ve been going through a quiet season. The adoption is dragging on and on, and our social calendar has been empty.
We are in a season of transition, and it has been lonely. But, I am choosing to lean into my season (check out my friend Katie’s book for more on that topic), to suck all of the life and learning and joy out of it that I possibly can.
Solitude is not something to be afraid of; it is a gift. Instead of stuffing the quiet moments and days full with all the things (which Brené Brown calls “numbing”), once we part the curtains of loneliness and get to the heart of it, we can see that solitude is a chance to nestle close to the heart of God, to be still before Him. Don’t try to numb yourself through your quiet season–lean into it.
When you feel left out, grab the opportunity to listen to the whisper of His spirit rather than the noise of others, the noise of busyness and being in the center of the bustle. New mama? Just moved? Lost your community (for whatever reason)? Lean into the loneliness–into deeper, undistracted intimacy with the Lord.
Ask what He’s teaching you, what He’s preparing you for; seasons of solitude are seasons of preparation. They are for tending to the things that have been neglected—a time out, if you will. An injured NBA player can’t keep on playing, or the injury will deepen and cause more severe, permanent damage. He has to take a time out to rest, to heal.
What have you been neglecting and trying to just play through? A broken marriage? Your health? Your finances? Damaged family relationships? Wounds from long ago that have been festering under the surface? Take time to lean into the solitude, to be quiet before the Lord, to use the time out as a chance to heal and get ready for the new things God has for you.
And who would use old wineskins to store new wine? For the old skins would burst with the pressure, and the wine would be spilled and the skins ruined. Only new wineskins are used to store new wine. Matthew 9:17
A time out is not punishment. It’s a blessing; it means God is preparing you. He’s changing out your wineskin. He needs you at full strength for the next season.
Are you in a quiet, time out season? How are you leaning into it?
