Solitude

Protestant Christians give much attention to gathering, the practice of coming together for corporate worship, coming together to receive strength & encouragement to go out again. That coming together includes music and audible Bible reading and prayer.  Contrast that with some Catholic orders which elevate silence to a necessity of worship; they take a vow of silence & solitude in order to be closer to God.  Others not of that faith have found that example useful enough to practice from time to time.  In some other religions, people choose to come apart from the world for a time in order to seek God such as in an Ashram in India, where silence is a requirement for seeking to know God.  While I agree with the need for getting together for worship, I am also a seeker of the elusive silence.  Even when alone, the television too often blares, neighbors' lawn mowers disrupt the quiet, or the washing machine does its rumbling.  Even if all that was gone, I would probably be doing something to distract myself from the silence.  This has to change.  I know that I have a need to stop, look,  and listen to the silence, the silence and stillness that is necessary to evaluate my own needs, and begin again seeking to know God's heart.