Solitude is a time when I can get away from all things, including myself. When I separate from myself, I can truly be accessible to Him. It is a time when I truly decrease and allow God to increase. He embraces me and engulfs me with all that He is, without me considering my needs, wants, or desires, sometimes not even remembering who I am.
In the moments of solitude, I am filled with the essence of who God 
is. A refreshing and a renewal fill my being. I enter a place of blessed quietness and every fiber of my being is calm and quiet, free from tension and stress.
Lonely? Oh, no! Of course not; I am not alone. Loneliness is when you desire to have someone present or feel that you are all by yourself in pity feeling sorry for yourself. It’s a call for company or companionship. Loneliness is a place of fear, anxiety and emotional unrest. The road of loneliness leads to depression and despair. A lonely soul sees darkness inside, with no light in sight. Saying, “I want to be left alone” or “I want to be by myself” is not solitude.
What I’m talking about is a chosen and purposed time set aside to be alone, but yet not alone. Solitude is the ultimate time of fellowship and companionship with the One who loves me more than I love myself, who knows more about me than I know about myself, and who has more insight about where I’m going than I do myself. In this peaceful environment, I can see and know things far beyond myself. I can enter into the realm from which I came. I came from God, my creator, and being with Him is the ultimate place of solitude.
How can you guarantee that you will enjoy this wonderful gift of solitude?
Try these tips:
- Acknowledge the need for solitude–time away for everyone and everything, including yourself.
- Commit to scheduling and taking times of solitude on purpose–just as you would schedule a doctor’s or salon appointment. When something or someone tries to infringe on that time, reply, “I have an appointment.”
- Choose a special place–make it the kind of place you would welcome a special friend into. Let it be a place of relaxation. Maybe have a water feature, or nature sounds playing in the background.
- Go to that place and relax–let go. Let your being drift into the presence of the one who is the essence of life, the essence of your being, the essence of peace and the essence of power. Let yourself be renewed, regenerated, refreshed and revived.
Solitude, Oh, Solitude,
Great and Glorious Solitude!
