WEBVTT 00:00:03.239 --> 00:00:05.780 Hello everyone and welcome to this week's episode 00:00:05.780 --> 00:00:08.740 of Trinity Talks. My name is Kyla. I'm Jordana. 00:00:08.960 --> 00:00:12.679 I'm Amal. Thank you. And we are here to continue 00:00:12.679 --> 00:00:15.699 talking about our series called This is the Way, 00:00:15.839 --> 00:00:18.359 where we're learning about what it means to follow 00:00:18.359 --> 00:00:20.800 the way of Jesus, and specifically what are some 00:00:20.800 --> 00:00:23.059 of the spiritual practices, what are some of 00:00:23.059 --> 00:00:25.640 the habits, the things that we can do that help 00:00:25.640 --> 00:00:30.800 us as we grow more in our faith. And so we started 00:00:30.800 --> 00:00:33.119 by talking about the practice of prayer. And 00:00:33.119 --> 00:00:35.140 then last week we talked about the practice of 00:00:35.140 --> 00:00:37.179 scripture reading. Today we're moving into a 00:00:37.179 --> 00:00:39.420 practice that's maybe a little bit less known, 00:00:39.420 --> 00:00:41.640 a little bit less common, and that is the practice 00:00:41.640 --> 00:00:47.179 of solitude. Solitude, I don't know. So when 00:00:47.179 --> 00:00:49.320 I hear the word solitude, I think fortress of 00:00:49.320 --> 00:00:51.500 solitude. And maybe this is not quite what we're 00:00:51.500 --> 00:00:55.780 going for here. But yeah, I don't know. We're 00:00:55.780 --> 00:00:57.899 going to talk about solitude as a spiritual practice. 00:00:58.619 --> 00:01:01.780 What does that even mean? So I think that's probably 00:01:01.780 --> 00:01:05.120 a good place to start. When you think about solitude 00:01:05.120 --> 00:01:08.939 as a spiritual practice, like what what does 00:01:08.939 --> 00:01:11.099 that mean to you? What does you think that that 00:01:11.099 --> 00:01:14.420 looks like? Yeah. Do you want to start us off, 00:01:14.599 --> 00:01:20.079 Hugh? Sure. Well, I think it's important to differentiate 00:01:20.079 --> 00:01:24.140 solitude from aloneness and from loneliness. 00:01:24.480 --> 00:01:29.239 OK. Loneliness is a time of struggle and pain. 00:01:30.299 --> 00:01:33.599 Aloneness can be a separation from the noise 00:01:33.599 --> 00:01:36.640 of the world but you're alone but you can still 00:01:36.640 --> 00:01:39.739 be on your device and you can still be connected 00:01:39.739 --> 00:01:44.620 to the world. Solitude is more of a total separation 00:01:44.620 --> 00:01:49.480 from the world for a time and it's not painful 00:01:49.480 --> 00:01:53.200 like loneliness, but it's a time of healing and 00:01:53.200 --> 00:01:58.859 it's a time of trying to get close to God and 00:01:58.859 --> 00:02:02.939 allowing God to enter into your soul. And for 00:02:02.939 --> 00:02:06.760 that we need silence because God whispers in 00:02:06.760 --> 00:02:11.620 the silence. So that's what solitude is in terms 00:02:11.620 --> 00:02:16.039 of between loneliness and aloneness. Yeah, I 00:02:16.039 --> 00:02:19.789 think that's a really helpful distinction. Yeah, 00:02:19.789 --> 00:02:22.990 you want to add anything to that? Yeah, it's 00:02:22.990 --> 00:02:27.569 deliberately quiet time basically trying to Get 00:02:27.569 --> 00:02:30.930 rid of all the distractions whether it's phone 00:02:30.930 --> 00:02:35.289 or people or so I've heard you know like of like 00:02:35.289 --> 00:02:38.090 like long retreats and stuff like like silent 00:02:38.090 --> 00:02:42.750 retreats or yeah, or if you go walk alone in 00:02:42.750 --> 00:02:47.569 nature, so right I'm not sure exactly with how 00:02:47.569 --> 00:02:51.379 it works daily. Sure, that's fair. But I know, 00:02:51.520 --> 00:02:55.620 Hugh, you were saying about how you do sort of 00:02:55.620 --> 00:02:59.740 daily solitude, right? Or I do. How does that 00:02:59.740 --> 00:03:04.979 work? I try to do it daily. Well, it's there's 00:03:04.979 --> 00:03:09.219 a number of aspects to it. One is I think you 00:03:09.219 --> 00:03:12.460 the physical space is important. So like a comfortable 00:03:12.460 --> 00:03:16.639 chair, a comfortable a place away from distractions, 00:03:17.139 --> 00:03:19.460 away from the phone, away from the noise in the 00:03:19.460 --> 00:03:22.340 house. I have an office in my basement, which 00:03:22.340 --> 00:03:27.120 is quite quiet. And so that's my space for solitude. 00:03:27.659 --> 00:03:32.039 And then for me, I do some breathing exercises 00:03:32.039 --> 00:03:37.680 just to get me into the solitude. And a lot of 00:03:37.680 --> 00:03:40.979 people will do a variety of things with the time. 00:03:41.199 --> 00:03:43.699 It can be 10 minutes, it can be half an hour, 00:03:43.860 --> 00:03:47.740 it can be longer if you have the time. But the 00:03:47.740 --> 00:03:51.479 importance of solitude is to have a space, a 00:03:51.479 --> 00:03:54.599 physical space, but then you enter into an emotional 00:03:54.599 --> 00:03:59.800 and a spiritual space where you're receptive 00:03:59.800 --> 00:04:04.740 to God. And that takes a bit of a focus. And 00:04:04.740 --> 00:04:08.539 for me, I found that writing is a focus. So I 00:04:08.539 --> 00:04:12.889 write... a minimum of three pages a day. And 00:04:12.889 --> 00:04:17.430 it doesn't and it's just writing. It's a dialogue 00:04:17.430 --> 00:04:21.370 with God. I write about I write to Jesus. I say, 00:04:21.529 --> 00:04:24.889 Dear Jesus, good morning. These are my thoughts 00:04:24.889 --> 00:04:27.389 today. These are my struggles. These are my joys. 00:04:28.050 --> 00:04:30.610 These are the things the people that are important 00:04:30.610 --> 00:04:32.730 in my life. These are the people I want to pray 00:04:32.730 --> 00:04:37.069 for. And then there comes a time in those three 00:04:37.069 --> 00:04:42.170 pages where I shut up and say, OK, Jesus, tell 00:04:42.170 --> 00:04:44.449 me what you think about all these things. And 00:04:44.449 --> 00:04:47.670 then I try to hear what he's saying. And I write 00:04:47.670 --> 00:04:52.449 that as well. OK. And so that for me is important 00:04:52.449 --> 00:04:55.850 because writing for me helps me to focus. Sure. 00:04:56.410 --> 00:04:59.389 Other people focus in other ways. They may have 00:04:59.389 --> 00:05:02.970 a quiet music in the background. they may have 00:05:02.970 --> 00:05:06.129 a good breeding exercise and they may have a 00:05:06.129 --> 00:05:10.569 mantra which is many Christians have the mantra 00:05:10.569 --> 00:05:14.170 that says Jesus and they repeat Jesus in Jesus 00:05:14.170 --> 00:05:16.990 because the thing that happens when you're in 00:05:16.990 --> 00:05:21.420 solitude is that the mind tries to wander. And 00:05:21.420 --> 00:05:25.079 it's really hard to hold it. It's like ships 00:05:25.079 --> 00:05:28.180 on the river, you know? The ship goes by and, 00:05:28.220 --> 00:05:30.379 you know, what's my bank account saying today? 00:05:30.680 --> 00:05:32.819 What am I going to do at work tomorrow? And all 00:05:32.819 --> 00:05:37.079 of these things. And it's okay. That's part of 00:05:37.079 --> 00:05:40.639 being human. And you let those ships... pot and 00:05:40.639 --> 00:05:44.300 pass because you don't jump aboard any of them. 00:05:44.360 --> 00:05:46.339 The tendency is to jump aboard. That's right. 00:05:46.699 --> 00:05:50.939 And and then you you keep you keep still. You're 00:05:50.939 --> 00:05:53.860 still in the solitude. And God does whisper and 00:05:53.860 --> 00:05:57.240 does come through. Yeah. Yeah, for sure. Yeah. 00:05:57.740 --> 00:05:59.660 What about for you, Jordan? Would you? Yeah, 00:05:59.759 --> 00:06:02.339 I was I mean, I was just thinking of the sort 00:06:02.339 --> 00:06:05.040 of trajectory of the series. Right. We talked 00:06:05.040 --> 00:06:07.529 about prayer and we talked about. Bible reading 00:06:07.529 --> 00:06:10.670 and those feel very active. You do need solitude. 00:06:11.009 --> 00:06:13.449 Prayer can be both alone and with people. And 00:06:13.449 --> 00:06:15.189 so, you know, when you are praying alone, you 00:06:15.189 --> 00:06:17.269 are in that space of solitude and you are creating 00:06:17.269 --> 00:06:20.790 it. But it is very active. I think of solitude 00:06:20.790 --> 00:06:23.769 as moving through that space where. you begin 00:06:23.769 --> 00:06:27.670 to reflect or slow down. And as you go through 00:06:27.670 --> 00:06:29.509 many of the things you're going through, maybe 00:06:29.509 --> 00:06:32.990 it begins to be active, but it moves into a space 00:06:32.990 --> 00:06:36.250 of quieter, of stillness, of trust that builds 00:06:36.250 --> 00:06:39.990 up, of receptiveness. And so I do think that 00:06:39.990 --> 00:06:43.329 the two are related, but not distinct. It can 00:06:43.329 --> 00:06:46.610 be quite an active, strenuous thing. Whereas 00:06:46.610 --> 00:06:49.529 the reflection and the stillness that comes, 00:06:49.550 --> 00:06:52.089 I think, in those times when that reflection 00:06:52.089 --> 00:06:55.769 leads. to you quieting down every once in a while 00:06:55.769 --> 00:06:59.089 allows for a peace, I think, and a groundedness 00:06:59.089 --> 00:07:02.910 that you can let go and be just in the presence 00:07:02.910 --> 00:07:07.370 of God rather than. Being very active with all 00:07:07.370 --> 00:07:11.490 the concerns of life. Yeah So yeah, I was just 00:07:11.490 --> 00:07:13.529 trying to think through how we move from this 00:07:13.529 --> 00:07:16.829 very active space into the more receptors Receptive 00:07:16.829 --> 00:07:19.709 and still space of solitude. Yeah. Yeah, I think 00:07:19.709 --> 00:07:22.529 it allows that That goes well with the practice 00:07:22.529 --> 00:07:24.069 that you were describing you of like starting 00:07:24.069 --> 00:07:26.310 out by like you writing out lots of thoughts 00:07:26.310 --> 00:07:29.569 because sometimes I think if we Try to start 00:07:29.569 --> 00:07:32.250 with just the receptivity our brain gets in the 00:07:32.250 --> 00:07:33.750 way because you're like I need to get all of 00:07:33.750 --> 00:07:35.680 these things out So starting by writing out all 00:07:35.680 --> 00:07:37.500 of the things that you need to get out of your 00:07:37.500 --> 00:07:41.000 brain, then allows you to enter into a space 00:07:41.000 --> 00:07:43.579 where you're saying, OK, I've put it all on the 00:07:43.579 --> 00:07:46.300 table. Now, like, what does the spirit of Christ 00:07:46.300 --> 00:07:49.579 have to say to me? Yes, that's all it allows. 00:07:49.860 --> 00:07:52.040 That it allows that surrender, which is really 00:07:52.040 --> 00:07:58.199 nice. That's, you know. Yeah, I think so. You 00:07:58.199 --> 00:07:59.980 said when you were talking to you that like. 00:08:00.769 --> 00:08:03.370 In talking about the difference between solitude 00:08:03.370 --> 00:08:06.689 and like loneliness, solitude is not painful. 00:08:06.970 --> 00:08:09.430 It should be a thing that's healing. I think 00:08:09.430 --> 00:08:11.410 it's important to clarify there that that doesn't 00:08:11.410 --> 00:08:14.709 mean that solitude is not challenging. I think 00:08:14.709 --> 00:08:18.129 it's still hard. It's just not painful in the 00:08:18.129 --> 00:08:21.209 same way that loneliness is painful. Loneliness 00:08:21.209 --> 00:08:24.449 is you long for connection. and you're denied 00:08:24.449 --> 00:08:27.490 it. And it's a good longing. We're made to have 00:08:27.490 --> 00:08:31.170 those connections with people. Solitude is not 00:08:31.170 --> 00:08:33.470 that you're longing. In fact, you are actually 00:08:33.470 --> 00:08:34.789 connecting. It's just that you're connecting 00:08:34.789 --> 00:08:37.129 with God and you're creating spaces for that 00:08:37.129 --> 00:08:39.389 spiritual connection. So it's a different thing 00:08:39.389 --> 00:08:42.330 than loneliness. But it's still hard to do sometimes. 00:08:42.330 --> 00:08:44.750 It's hard to do, yes. For sure. It is. That's 00:08:44.750 --> 00:08:47.450 why it's called the practice. Yes, yes. We do 00:08:47.450 --> 00:08:50.450 it slowly over time. We build up our tolerance 00:08:50.450 --> 00:08:52.690 and our ability to do that well. It's definitely 00:08:52.690 --> 00:08:54.870 a learning learned behavior. It's not like something 00:08:54.870 --> 00:08:59.389 like you can you can get into the habit of praying 00:08:59.389 --> 00:09:03.649 or reading scripture. So but but it almost feels 00:09:03.649 --> 00:09:08.769 counterintuitive to counteractive to to be in 00:09:08.769 --> 00:09:10.970 solitude, especially in our day and age, you 00:09:10.970 --> 00:09:14.110 know, there's always something going on. You 00:09:14.110 --> 00:09:16.690 know, whether you're watching something, listening 00:09:16.690 --> 00:09:20.769 to something, people around, there's all there's 00:09:20.769 --> 00:09:23.960 always distractions. There's always things to 00:09:23.960 --> 00:09:28.259 keep your mind occupied. So to almost force yourself 00:09:28.259 --> 00:09:31.340 to be like, I'm getting rid of that for even 00:09:31.340 --> 00:09:35.779 five minutes. Yeah. You know, that's you. You 00:09:35.779 --> 00:09:38.919 really have to learn how to do that. Sure. Yeah. 00:09:39.159 --> 00:09:43.120 Yeah, for sure. For sure. Yeah. So you talked 00:09:43.120 --> 00:09:45.200 about like what this looks like for you on it. 00:09:45.129 --> 00:09:47.610 daily basis, but when we were talking before, 00:09:47.769 --> 00:09:51.029 you also shared about this 10 -day silent retreat 00:09:51.029 --> 00:09:53.049 that you were on. You want to tell us what that 00:09:53.049 --> 00:09:59.789 experience was like for you? Yes. Again, it was 00:09:59.789 --> 00:10:03.289 a challenge because it was a very busy time in 00:10:03.289 --> 00:10:08.169 my life. I had three teenagers at home and a 00:10:08.169 --> 00:10:13.429 busy career, but I felt that I needed to get 00:10:13.429 --> 00:10:19.600 away. And so I went to Guelph to the Jesuit community 00:10:19.600 --> 00:10:23.740 and took a 10 -day silent retreat. Now, the challenge 00:10:23.740 --> 00:10:26.519 was the first three days. I thought I'd go crazy. 00:10:26.700 --> 00:10:28.759 Sure. Because, you know, no phones are allowed 00:10:28.759 --> 00:10:32.059 and nothing is allowed. You're by yourself. Yeah. 00:10:32.620 --> 00:10:35.159 Basically. And completely silent. Completely 00:10:35.159 --> 00:10:36.940 silent. So you're not even like talking to the 00:10:36.940 --> 00:10:38.759 other folks who are there, really? No, you're 00:10:38.759 --> 00:10:40.789 not allowed to. Even the meals are silent. Oh, 00:10:40.830 --> 00:10:44.149 wow. So you don't say pass the butter, you know, 00:10:44.230 --> 00:10:48.230 you just make a sign or, you know, somehow somebody 00:10:48.230 --> 00:10:50.649 will will be sensitive to your need and pass 00:10:50.649 --> 00:10:55.230 the butter. But so what happens, what I discovered 00:10:55.230 --> 00:10:59.529 is that after the third day, I started to quiet 00:10:59.529 --> 00:11:04.889 down and I started to to to to like myself a 00:11:04.889 --> 00:11:09.470 little better. OK. And I discovered that solitude 00:11:09.919 --> 00:11:13.500 Like is nourishment, like nourishment for the 00:11:13.500 --> 00:11:17.879 mind is reading and education and so and nourishment 00:11:17.879 --> 00:11:21.720 for your body is doing, eating good foods and 00:11:21.720 --> 00:11:25.000 doing good exercise. Solitude is nourishment 00:11:25.000 --> 00:11:28.659 for the soul and sometimes that's the last thing 00:11:28.659 --> 00:11:31.720 that we think about it and is something that 00:11:31.720 --> 00:11:35.120 we neglect. But God wants to nourish our souls 00:11:35.120 --> 00:11:38.720 and God wants us to be happy and He wants us 00:11:38.720 --> 00:11:43.440 to be peaceful and He wants to talk to us. But 00:11:43.440 --> 00:11:46.299 we have to get rid of the noise of the world 00:11:46.299 --> 00:11:51.480 so we can listen to His voice. So the last eight 00:11:51.480 --> 00:11:55.460 days were tremendous. Sure. You just got to get 00:11:55.460 --> 00:11:57.740 through the first three. Got through the first 00:11:57.740 --> 00:12:00.299 three. Sometimes it takes people a day. Sometimes 00:12:00.299 --> 00:12:02.580 it takes people five days, you know, depends. 00:12:03.460 --> 00:12:08.759 Yeah. But it's yes, it's it's being alone and 00:12:08.759 --> 00:12:13.340 and and and and then it becomes a real it's a 00:12:13.340 --> 00:12:17.200 richness. There's a richness there that that's 00:12:17.200 --> 00:12:20.840 that's hard to describe, but it. Here you are. 00:12:20.919 --> 00:12:25.480 You know, it's like the song. You're with Jesus 00:12:25.480 --> 00:12:33.820 who says, you're my brother and you're so close 00:12:33.820 --> 00:12:38.460 to me, and yet I'm your King. But I am so, I 00:12:38.460 --> 00:12:42.360 so love you. I'm such an expansive God that you 00:12:42.360 --> 00:12:47.379 can't even begin to know me until you sit down 00:12:47.379 --> 00:12:50.750 and say, come to me. And that's the richness. 00:12:51.529 --> 00:12:54.029 Yeah, it's powerful. Mm -hmm. Yeah, it's really 00:12:54.029 --> 00:12:57.330 powerful. So I think that Just like reflecting 00:12:57.330 --> 00:12:59.370 on that experience and like what you're sharing. 00:12:59.370 --> 00:13:03.389 I think there's there's hope and there's comfort 00:13:03.389 --> 00:13:06.870 in knowing that like Yeah, that that solitude 00:13:06.870 --> 00:13:09.830 can be a really nourishing thing but also there's 00:13:09.830 --> 00:13:11.509 hope and there's encouragement and knowing that 00:13:11.509 --> 00:13:13.529 the first three days can be really hard and so 00:13:13.529 --> 00:13:15.909 when we start this practice whether we're starting 00:13:15.909 --> 00:13:19.059 it as an intensive retreat or as a you know five 00:13:19.059 --> 00:13:21.440 or ten minute daily practice like if it's hard 00:13:21.440 --> 00:13:24.620 at first that's okay yeah yeah i wanted to just 00:13:24.620 --> 00:13:27.980 bring in here something that i speak about with 00:13:27.980 --> 00:13:31.720 my students yeah um at university where i'm when 00:13:31.720 --> 00:13:34.460 i help doctoral writers and it's so hard to write 00:13:34.480 --> 00:13:38.179 these long pieces of work that nobody's ever 00:13:38.179 --> 00:13:40.879 written at that length before. And they talk 00:13:40.879 --> 00:13:44.399 about how busy they are, or how much work there 00:13:44.399 --> 00:13:46.559 is, or how many things they have to do, and therefore 00:13:46.559 --> 00:13:49.700 the doctorate gets pushed aside. And we speak 00:13:49.700 --> 00:13:52.179 about the distinction between external distractions, 00:13:52.659 --> 00:13:54.899 and those are the external things that you have 00:13:54.899 --> 00:13:57.620 to do, the teaching, the grading, the whatever, 00:13:58.100 --> 00:14:00.559 the things. And with us, it's family life, it's 00:14:00.559 --> 00:14:03.659 everything. But then when you have time and you 00:14:03.659 --> 00:14:06.000 put it down and you sit down to write a doctorate 00:14:06.000 --> 00:14:07.820 and then there are the internal distractions 00:14:07.820 --> 00:14:10.200 the things where you don't feel productive or 00:14:10.200 --> 00:14:12.840 the thoughts don't come or you know you're not 00:14:12.840 --> 00:14:16.220 writing yeah and it feels like that is unproductive 00:14:16.220 --> 00:14:19.080 time it feels and then it's very easy to reach 00:14:19.080 --> 00:14:21.059 for the cell phone or reach for the email or 00:14:21.059 --> 00:14:22.740 reach for the oh I'm not getting it done now 00:14:22.740 --> 00:14:25.820 I'm gonna put it down and put it away yeah but 00:14:25.820 --> 00:14:28.159 it's that internal distraction where you sit 00:14:28.159 --> 00:14:31.779 in the space where when something is hard Right? 00:14:32.000 --> 00:14:35.860 You allow that space for discomfort to be the 00:14:35.860 --> 00:14:39.139 space you occupy for a while as you give time. 00:14:39.610 --> 00:14:42.710 for those thoughts, those ideas to consolidate. 00:14:43.250 --> 00:14:45.629 And it's so important, there's so many studies, 00:14:45.769 --> 00:14:47.789 but they're so important to actually sit in that 00:14:47.789 --> 00:14:51.450 space rather than reaching for things elsewhere. 00:14:52.669 --> 00:14:54.990 And the point is not to just sit in the discomfort 00:14:54.990 --> 00:14:57.549 all the time, it's to be able to allow that, 00:14:57.669 --> 00:15:00.370 to get through that discomfort into the place 00:15:00.370 --> 00:15:02.710 where you can write or where the thoughts can 00:15:02.710 --> 00:15:06.419 come together. And so when it comes to writing 00:15:06.419 --> 00:15:09.620 and writing that's difficult, you know, it's 00:15:09.620 --> 00:15:13.159 important to be OK with the uncertainty and OK 00:15:13.159 --> 00:15:16.639 with the discomfort of that silence and off the 00:15:16.639 --> 00:15:18.539 space. And I think, you know, I think it's very 00:15:18.539 --> 00:15:21.580 valid for what it might mean to create spaces 00:15:21.580 --> 00:15:24.879 of solitude where it won't be easy for a while 00:15:24.879 --> 00:15:27.419 or you will feel very unproductive or you'll 00:15:27.419 --> 00:15:30.519 feel very like that's not giving you right away 00:15:30.519 --> 00:15:33.139 the spiritual peace you had thought it would 00:15:33.139 --> 00:15:38.860 give you. And that ability to say no, like as 00:15:38.860 --> 00:15:40.980 all your thoughts and your life gets crowded 00:15:40.980 --> 00:15:43.259 in, allow that space for reflection, but allow 00:15:43.259 --> 00:15:45.320 that space for uncertainty and discomfort and 00:15:45.320 --> 00:15:50.740 mystery as well. Because as the practice, as 00:15:50.740 --> 00:15:55.220 you sort of... engage in the practice on an ongoing 00:15:55.220 --> 00:15:58.440 basis, you'll find yourself slowly moving towards 00:15:58.440 --> 00:16:01.659 that space where you can quieten down and reflect. 00:16:02.039 --> 00:16:04.399 But there will be, and there's no rule as to 00:16:04.399 --> 00:16:08.220 how long it'll take before you can actually move 00:16:08.220 --> 00:16:11.879 there, that there will be that time of feeling 00:16:11.879 --> 00:16:15.919 intensely uncomfortable, maybe, but to allow 00:16:15.919 --> 00:16:18.200 it to happen, allow that process to take place. 00:16:18.700 --> 00:16:22.509 Yeah. Yeah, I think that's helpful to sort of 00:16:22.509 --> 00:16:26.009 think through. I like the distinction between 00:16:26.009 --> 00:16:28.149 internal and external distractions because I 00:16:28.149 --> 00:16:30.889 think it's fair to say, like, I'm distracted. 00:16:31.789 --> 00:16:33.950 But then you think about, OK, what am I distracted 00:16:33.950 --> 00:16:36.529 by? And is this something that is actually imminent? 00:16:36.950 --> 00:16:40.029 Or is this just a feeling, a thought, a thing 00:16:40.029 --> 00:16:41.889 that I need to work through or that I need to 00:16:41.889 --> 00:16:44.230 write out on paper so that it's out there? Right? 00:16:44.730 --> 00:16:47.309 Yeah. Yeah. What about other challenges when 00:16:47.309 --> 00:16:49.899 you think about our experiences of solitude so 00:16:49.899 --> 00:16:51.940 we've talked about you know being distracted 00:16:51.940 --> 00:16:54.200 by all the things happening in the world being 00:16:54.200 --> 00:16:57.200 distracted even by our own minds um yeah what 00:16:57.200 --> 00:16:59.139 else comes to mind when you think about what 00:16:59.139 --> 00:17:03.220 makes it hard to practice solitude uh i think 00:17:03.220 --> 00:17:06.599 part of it is just it's it's a weird feeling 00:17:06.599 --> 00:17:10.099 when everything is silent when you're not listening 00:17:10.099 --> 00:17:12.519 to anything when you're not watching something 00:17:12.519 --> 00:17:15.480 yeah you know and it's just it's sort of like 00:17:15.480 --> 00:17:19.750 again it's not I don't think we grew up in a 00:17:19.750 --> 00:17:25.970 world where we had moments like this. I wonder, 00:17:26.329 --> 00:17:31.329 is there a way to have this instilled in a young 00:17:31.329 --> 00:17:34.349 age, especially nowadays where everything is 00:17:34.349 --> 00:17:39.769 iPad this and YouTube and there's all these sort 00:17:39.769 --> 00:17:45.210 of things to try to keep you distracted. It's 00:17:45.210 --> 00:17:47.549 it's it's definitely one of those things where 00:17:47.549 --> 00:17:52.789 I almost feel like people back like but prior 00:17:52.789 --> 00:17:55.789 to the technology boom probably We're able to 00:17:55.789 --> 00:17:58.109 practice that a lot easier, you know, but now 00:17:58.109 --> 00:18:00.950 that's our but that's our challenge We have to 00:18:00.950 --> 00:18:04.829 get back to that. Sure. Yeah sure. Mm -hmm Yeah, 00:18:04.890 --> 00:18:07.789 and I think sort of on top of that the idea that 00:18:07.789 --> 00:18:11.299 like it's not just that like It's not just the 00:18:11.299 --> 00:18:13.220 you know, the science of like being glued to 00:18:13.220 --> 00:18:16.339 technology It's like culture our culture actually 00:18:16.339 --> 00:18:19.880 rewards us for always being on the go always 00:18:19.880 --> 00:18:22.180 doing things for always like getting more input 00:18:22.180 --> 00:18:25.799 and put getting Doing more output and like all 00:18:25.799 --> 00:18:28.240 of those things when we are busy. We are like 00:18:28.240 --> 00:18:30.519 quote -unquote successful. We're celebrated I 00:18:30.519 --> 00:18:32.920 mean look at look at stuff like Shark Tanker, 00:18:32.920 --> 00:18:35.559 right? You know, right? Yeah, the entrepreneur 00:18:35.559 --> 00:18:38.259 that's always on the go that's putting in it 00:18:38.359 --> 00:18:43.599 so many hours a week, they're rewarded. It makes 00:18:43.599 --> 00:18:45.779 it like, oh, well, they really want to succeed. 00:18:46.880 --> 00:18:48.839 That's how we measure success. You're right. 00:18:49.119 --> 00:18:53.400 Yeah. Yeah. So it is just like a very countercultural 00:18:53.400 --> 00:18:55.539 thing to be like, I'm going to step back from 00:18:55.539 --> 00:18:59.940 that. And it can get scary to the extent that, 00:19:00.140 --> 00:19:01.960 on the one hand, you feel like, as I said, you're 00:19:01.960 --> 00:19:04.319 not being productive in that moment. But I think 00:19:04.319 --> 00:19:06.259 the other thing is you're confronted with yourself. 00:19:07.799 --> 00:19:12.220 And the things you've been putting away or off, 00:19:12.319 --> 00:19:14.099 the things you've been doing wrong, like they 00:19:14.099 --> 00:19:17.420 all come rushing to the fore, you know? And solitude 00:19:17.420 --> 00:19:22.700 is that space where you're deliberately not distracted 00:19:22.700 --> 00:19:25.119 from the things that you've been hiding from. 00:19:26.029 --> 00:19:28.950 And that can be a place where it can, if you 00:19:28.950 --> 00:19:31.609 allow it, be a place of confession. It can be 00:19:31.609 --> 00:19:35.190 a place of repentance. It can be a place. But 00:19:35.190 --> 00:19:38.460 these are. uncomfortable things for sure and 00:19:38.460 --> 00:19:41.460 so there are those spaces where solitude will 00:19:41.460 --> 00:19:45.579 you know as you said you it was after a few days 00:19:45.579 --> 00:19:48.660 that you began to like yourself again that began 00:19:48.660 --> 00:19:51.619 you know that got me thinking about what it might 00:19:51.619 --> 00:19:53.819 mean to actually be in the space of solitude 00:19:53.819 --> 00:19:57.900 where you are confronting all your own foibles 00:19:57.900 --> 00:20:01.900 and limitations to get to the place where you 00:20:01.900 --> 00:20:05.680 can trust God and love and know His love. But 00:20:05.680 --> 00:20:09.339 yeah, you need to give that process some space 00:20:09.339 --> 00:20:13.160 as well, but it won't be comfortable. No, that's 00:20:13.160 --> 00:20:17.059 such a good point that as soon as we slow down 00:20:17.059 --> 00:20:20.220 in our culture, because as you were saying earlier, 00:20:20.500 --> 00:20:26.079 Kyla, we're so focused on doing than in solitude, 00:20:26.220 --> 00:20:29.789 we have to be. The being takes precedence. And 00:20:29.789 --> 00:20:36.029 it scares us. And it brings up all kinds of things. 00:20:36.170 --> 00:20:41.109 It brings up our vulnerabilities. And the fact 00:20:41.109 --> 00:20:44.950 that we're far from perfect. And when we're busy 00:20:44.950 --> 00:20:46.730 doing, we don't think about that. Because we're 00:20:46.730 --> 00:20:49.089 so busy in the world. But all of a sudden, you're 00:20:49.089 --> 00:20:54.849 just being. And it's so important to be because... 00:20:54.890 --> 00:20:59.269 When we relate to other people, people don't 00:20:59.269 --> 00:21:02.309 always want us to do things for them. Sometimes 00:21:02.309 --> 00:21:06.309 they just want us to be with them. And in solitude, 00:21:06.329 --> 00:21:09.430 as we learn to be with Jesus, we also learn to 00:21:09.430 --> 00:21:14.470 be with others. Sure. But the challenge is we 00:21:14.470 --> 00:21:19.130 have to be with ourselves first, face those little 00:21:19.130 --> 00:21:22.549 demons that you were talking about, Jordan. Yeah, 00:21:22.549 --> 00:21:24.170 and I think like one thing that sort of came 00:21:24.170 --> 00:21:25.869 to mind for me as we were like talking at this 00:21:25.869 --> 00:21:29.089 idea of like facing ourselves and how Difficult 00:21:29.089 --> 00:21:33.009 that can be sometimes I think That's for me. 00:21:33.009 --> 00:21:34.309 That's part of the reason that it's important 00:21:34.309 --> 00:21:37.910 to like pair Solitude with other spiritual practices. 00:21:37.970 --> 00:21:42.549 Yeah, that like Jesus did not call us to live 00:21:42.549 --> 00:21:47.180 in isolation all the time and so pairing it with 00:21:47.180 --> 00:21:50.579 practices of community, with practices of confession, 00:21:51.259 --> 00:21:54.099 with meeting with a pastor or a spiritual director 00:21:54.099 --> 00:21:56.519 or a therapist or a life group, whoever it is 00:21:56.519 --> 00:22:00.559 that you need to journey with you in this process 00:22:00.559 --> 00:22:03.700 of confronting yourself and confronting whatever 00:22:03.700 --> 00:22:06.460 it is that that solitude brings up in you, I 00:22:06.460 --> 00:22:10.019 think is really, really important. Absolutely. 00:22:11.539 --> 00:22:14.950 So then, if solitude is so hard, Why should we 00:22:14.950 --> 00:22:19.410 do it? Yeah, it sounds like it's just a really 00:22:19.410 --> 00:22:22.069 challenging thing. And we've said that it's nice 00:22:22.069 --> 00:22:25.490 at the end. But like, what is good about it? 00:22:25.609 --> 00:22:29.369 What gets us there, I guess? What do we find 00:22:29.369 --> 00:22:32.190 at the end of this journey? It makes us more 00:22:32.190 --> 00:22:35.710 whole. OK. And so as we become more whole, we 00:22:35.710 --> 00:22:39.990 can extend that wholeness to others. OK. And 00:22:39.990 --> 00:22:42.269 I think that's that's that's key. That's key 00:22:42.269 --> 00:22:44.990 for me. Yeah. I'm just thinking that it creates 00:22:44.990 --> 00:22:47.730 the space. Like you think of a Christian walk, 00:22:47.990 --> 00:22:51.849 right? And there is, you know, it begins with 00:22:51.849 --> 00:22:56.730 you knowing you need God. Yep. Right. And if 00:22:56.730 --> 00:22:59.569 you're always doing, you're not ever entering 00:22:59.569 --> 00:23:01.789 that space. Like sometimes something will whack 00:23:01.789 --> 00:23:05.049 you on the head in and says, you know, stop. 00:23:05.309 --> 00:23:07.950 You are out of control. You don't have control 00:23:07.950 --> 00:23:12.069 on the situation. You need God. Yeah. But we... 00:23:13.210 --> 00:23:15.829 Unless that happens and you're in a space where 00:23:15.829 --> 00:23:18.690 that happens, we don't necessarily create spaces 00:23:18.690 --> 00:23:24.430 for us to reflect. And so I would say solitude 00:23:24.430 --> 00:23:27.710 makes you sort of structures in creating those 00:23:27.710 --> 00:23:34.250 spaces of reflection, of trust, because ultimately 00:23:34.250 --> 00:23:37.450 in those spaces of reflection, you're confronted 00:23:37.450 --> 00:23:38.990 with yourself, but then you're confronted with 00:23:38.990 --> 00:23:41.450 the fact that you need God and that He is there. 00:23:41.710 --> 00:23:43.769 And if you're going to reach for that love on 00:23:43.769 --> 00:23:46.309 an ongoing basis and ground yourself in the peace 00:23:46.309 --> 00:23:50.309 that comes from Him, then you're going to have 00:23:50.309 --> 00:23:52.289 to create those spaces where you allow yourself 00:23:52.289 --> 00:23:57.509 that process. So, yeah, I would say that it matters 00:23:57.509 --> 00:24:04.569 to just being someone who connects with God and 00:24:04.569 --> 00:24:08.769 who creates space for his presence. Right. In 00:24:08.769 --> 00:24:11.710 your life, yeah. And it's related to community, 00:24:11.710 --> 00:24:14.930 because as we connect in solitude with God and 00:24:14.930 --> 00:24:18.069 with ourselves, we then we're more and more prepared 00:24:18.069 --> 00:24:20.549 to connect with others in community. Sure. And 00:24:20.549 --> 00:24:23.809 community is important. Yeah. In the scripture, 00:24:23.890 --> 00:24:26.410 Jesus is in community. He's in solitude, but 00:24:26.410 --> 00:24:28.910 he's also in community. Right. There's a real. 00:24:29.150 --> 00:24:34.549 link there. Yeah. Yeah. So like, I wonder if 00:24:34.549 --> 00:24:37.349 we can say a little bit more about how that works, 00:24:37.390 --> 00:24:40.789 because I think, yeah, like, like if you were 00:24:40.789 --> 00:24:43.789 to elaborate on that, like what, how does solitude 00:24:43.789 --> 00:24:47.309 prepare us to like, be in community more? Do 00:24:47.309 --> 00:24:51.789 you think? Well, because, because we have, we 00:24:51.789 --> 00:24:55.890 have a community basically as connection, as 00:24:55.890 --> 00:25:00.299 connection to each other. It's learning to deeply 00:25:00.299 --> 00:25:04.539 listen to each other. And that's what we do in 00:25:04.539 --> 00:25:08.740 solitude. Jesus is teaching us to deeply listen 00:25:08.740 --> 00:25:13.319 to Him and deeply listen to ourselves. And once 00:25:13.319 --> 00:25:16.059 we're able to do that in solitude, it becomes 00:25:16.059 --> 00:25:18.569 then... a little easier to do it in community 00:25:18.569 --> 00:25:21.670 right okay so it's like exercising that that 00:25:21.670 --> 00:25:25.309 listening muscle that's right yeah okay yeah 00:25:25.309 --> 00:25:27.529 yeah i also wonder if there's part of it that 00:25:27.529 --> 00:25:33.750 is our ability to when we've had a space for 00:25:33.750 --> 00:25:36.650 us to like deal with whatever is happening inside 00:25:36.650 --> 00:25:40.369 of us then we feel less need to like Insist on 00:25:40.369 --> 00:25:43.930 that in other spaces. I think so. Yeah, I think 00:25:43.930 --> 00:25:46.730 just that place of honesty before God and that 00:25:46.730 --> 00:25:51.349 sense of grounding in his love and presence lets 00:25:51.349 --> 00:25:54.869 you take down many of the barriers that we can 00:25:54.869 --> 00:25:59.839 build up when connecting with others and so You 00:25:59.839 --> 00:26:02.380 know, it really does begin with that grounding 00:26:02.380 --> 00:26:06.019 in God because knowing that you're in that space 00:26:06.019 --> 00:26:10.720 of acceptance and forgiveness and love allows 00:26:10.720 --> 00:26:14.279 you to be less to lean into vulnerability a little 00:26:14.279 --> 00:26:17.299 more. Sure. And that is so vital for healthy 00:26:17.299 --> 00:26:21.500 connections. So, yeah, I'd say that. Very good. 00:26:21.880 --> 00:26:26.339 That's good. And I think I think with solitude, 00:26:26.500 --> 00:26:29.650 it's also your time that you can bring all your 00:26:29.650 --> 00:26:33.210 troubles and problems to God and all your frustrations 00:26:33.210 --> 00:26:36.609 and You can vent to God and God's just there 00:26:36.609 --> 00:26:40.170 to listen. You're not gonna get any You're not 00:26:40.170 --> 00:26:44.009 gonna get any response or like any sort of pushback 00:26:44.009 --> 00:26:47.609 or negativity and it allows It allows you to 00:26:47.609 --> 00:26:50.769 say how you really feel and sometimes confronting 00:26:50.769 --> 00:26:54.950 yourself is also bringing up whatever darkness 00:26:54.950 --> 00:26:57.920 is in in you that you don't that you obviously 00:26:57.920 --> 00:27:03.680 try to resist in real life, and you're allowing 00:27:03.680 --> 00:27:09.819 yourself to get it all out and free yourself 00:27:09.819 --> 00:27:13.200 from that and then you can go ahead and deal 00:27:13.200 --> 00:27:16.160 with the world. Yeah, I think there's like an 00:27:16.160 --> 00:27:18.339 interplay there between the practice of solitude 00:27:18.339 --> 00:27:24.359 and the practice of prayer. I think solitude 00:27:24.359 --> 00:27:29.140 often begins with active prayer, where we are 00:27:29.140 --> 00:27:30.779 saying, okay, I have to get all of this stuff 00:27:30.779 --> 00:27:32.819 out. And like you said, whatever those emotions 00:27:32.819 --> 00:27:37.359 are, God is like, bring it all. And then it moves 00:27:37.359 --> 00:27:40.019 into a kind of listening prayer, where you said, 00:27:40.140 --> 00:27:42.259 okay, God, here's all of the things. Now, what 00:27:42.259 --> 00:27:44.440 are you going to do about it? Right. And sometimes 00:27:44.440 --> 00:27:46.299 that is actually the question, God, what are 00:27:46.299 --> 00:27:48.220 you going to do about it? And sometimes it's 00:27:48.220 --> 00:27:50.319 more of, okay, so God, what do you have to say 00:27:50.319 --> 00:27:52.440 about this? Right. Like there are different moods 00:27:52.440 --> 00:27:55.039 that we can sort of bring to that. But yeah. 00:27:55.200 --> 00:28:01.019 just laying it all out there. Okay, so then how 00:28:01.019 --> 00:28:03.980 do we practice solitude? Like if you were to 00:28:03.980 --> 00:28:06.279 think about practically, what does this look 00:28:06.279 --> 00:28:08.779 like? How can we encourage people and help people 00:28:08.779 --> 00:28:10.400 who are trying to figure out how to do this? 00:28:10.559 --> 00:28:12.680 Like what, what would you sort of say about that? 00:28:12.839 --> 00:28:14.880 So like, Hugh, when you think about your daily 00:28:14.880 --> 00:28:17.700 practice of of solitude, like what are some like 00:28:17.700 --> 00:28:19.640 really practical things that are helpful for 00:28:19.640 --> 00:28:22.839 you as you think about that? Well, have a good 00:28:22.839 --> 00:28:30.299 coffee ready. Okay. God likes coffee. And the 00:28:30.299 --> 00:28:32.500 physical space, as I said earlier, is really 00:28:32.500 --> 00:28:35.420 important. The separation from the noise in the 00:28:35.420 --> 00:28:39.039 house or wherever you are. So a quiet place in 00:28:39.039 --> 00:28:41.220 the house, wherever that quiet place is for you. 00:28:41.220 --> 00:28:47.839 Sure. And then... Some people find it easier 00:28:47.839 --> 00:28:51.440 to have some quiet music in the background. Sure. 00:28:51.980 --> 00:28:55.819 It can be a monastic type of music, which is 00:28:55.819 --> 00:28:59.420 very, very soothing. Yeah. Bulgarian chants, 00:28:59.460 --> 00:29:04.980 for instance. And some people could put a candle, 00:29:05.400 --> 00:29:10.500 you know, a lot of candle or breathing exercises 00:29:10.500 --> 00:29:14.529 are also very helpful, you know. taking deep 00:29:14.529 --> 00:29:17.910 breaths, counting to ten, and then inhaling and 00:29:17.910 --> 00:29:20.450 exhaling, counting to ten, holding and counting 00:29:20.450 --> 00:29:23.029 to ten, and you do three or five repetitions 00:29:23.029 --> 00:29:26.650 of this, and it just calms you down, you know, 00:29:26.710 --> 00:29:29.869 and makes you more receptive. So those are little 00:29:29.869 --> 00:29:36.470 things that you can do to get you in that receptive 00:29:36.470 --> 00:29:39.589 mode, because solitude is trying to get your 00:29:39.589 --> 00:29:45.819 soul to be receptive. So those are the things 00:29:45.819 --> 00:29:48.839 that I have found helpful over the years. For 00:29:48.839 --> 00:29:53.559 sure, yeah. I will say that if, you know, a special 00:29:53.559 --> 00:29:56.119 room or something is impossible, I mean, some 00:29:56.119 --> 00:29:57.839 things like taking a walk, just anywhere where 00:29:57.839 --> 00:30:02.039 you can disconnect from all the concerns and 00:30:02.039 --> 00:30:04.240 allow yourself that space of reflection matters. 00:30:04.480 --> 00:30:06.599 There's this amazing story that I remember from 00:30:06.599 --> 00:30:09.299 years ago where John and Charles Wesley, like 00:30:09.299 --> 00:30:13.930 their moms, A parent like they had a small house 00:30:13.930 --> 00:30:16.470 growing up. They had so many kids. There was 00:30:16.470 --> 00:30:19.250 no special place she could go to. But what she 00:30:19.250 --> 00:30:22.450 would do was just put her apron over her head 00:30:22.450 --> 00:30:25.130 and sit down by the table. But which they all 00:30:25.130 --> 00:30:27.690 knew that when mom had her apron over her head, 00:30:27.690 --> 00:30:30.930 she was praying. You have to be quiet. And that's 00:30:30.930 --> 00:30:33.549 and I think what what that shows is, first of 00:30:33.549 --> 00:30:35.690 all, that you don't you may not need to do it 00:30:35.690 --> 00:30:38.069 alone. You can get someone around like there 00:30:38.069 --> 00:30:41.329 are people around you who can. who know, like 00:30:41.329 --> 00:30:43.849 who you share this with, right? Or you create 00:30:43.849 --> 00:30:45.990 that space. For me, it's just going into my bedroom, 00:30:46.130 --> 00:30:49.190 right? And praying for 10 minutes or whatever 00:30:49.190 --> 00:30:52.779 it is. Yeah, just creating those moments of spaces 00:30:52.779 --> 00:30:55.180 of intentionality and not just keeping to yourself 00:30:55.180 --> 00:30:57.819 too. If you need others to know that that's what 00:30:57.819 --> 00:30:59.599 you're doing and create that space for yourself, 00:30:59.799 --> 00:31:02.700 you know, get them on board. And so sharing that, 00:31:02.759 --> 00:31:04.759 I mean, we say this with students or graduates 00:31:04.759 --> 00:31:07.640 too, like get your partner to, you know, take 00:31:07.640 --> 00:31:10.420 the kids if you are having kids for the half 00:31:10.420 --> 00:31:13.839 an hour that you need to just write. So get that 00:31:13.839 --> 00:31:16.799 support around you as well. So those things can 00:31:16.799 --> 00:31:20.019 help a lot. Big and small, do what... works for 00:31:20.019 --> 00:31:23.000 you, but also don't necessarily only do it alone. 00:31:23.299 --> 00:31:26.339 Yeah. Yeah. But yeah, that's interesting. Solitude 00:31:26.339 --> 00:31:29.299 as a practice that you do, you need a community 00:31:29.299 --> 00:31:32.019 of support that allows you to do that. And this 00:31:32.019 --> 00:31:34.519 is just something that occurred that, you know, 00:31:34.640 --> 00:31:36.539 Jesus would have told people, don't follow me. 00:31:36.539 --> 00:31:41.009 I'm going off to be alone, to pray. and I will 00:31:41.009 --> 00:31:43.130 join you later, right? And so he would have had 00:31:43.130 --> 00:31:45.089 to actually make that very clear to all his disciples 00:31:45.089 --> 00:31:47.349 who are following him everywhere. Yeah, yeah, 00:31:47.549 --> 00:31:50.769 yeah, yeah. So for sure. Yeah, sure. Yeah, yeah. 00:31:50.890 --> 00:31:53.230 Anything you would add to that model? I guess 00:31:53.230 --> 00:31:55.910 I guess I would say, especially because this 00:31:55.910 --> 00:32:00.809 is kind of a new concept for me is treated like 00:32:00.809 --> 00:32:04.230 treated like meditation, but with the intention 00:32:04.230 --> 00:32:09.000 of listening to God and trying to you know empty 00:32:09.000 --> 00:32:13.640 your your mind of the distractions and and I 00:32:13.640 --> 00:32:16.900 think as well like with other forms of meditation 00:32:16.900 --> 00:32:22.400 is important to that it's okay if you're if you 00:32:22.400 --> 00:32:26.160 can't empty your mind right away or if you have 00:32:26.160 --> 00:32:28.539 a hard time with it you know because again it's 00:32:28.539 --> 00:32:32.000 a learned practice it's not something that is 00:32:32.000 --> 00:32:36.170 instinctual so I think just I think if you just, 00:32:36.170 --> 00:32:39.349 you know, even just carve out five minutes or 00:32:39.349 --> 00:32:43.210 something and quiet, again, music is definitely 00:32:43.210 --> 00:32:48.609 a good tool for that too, you know, but just, 00:32:48.609 --> 00:32:52.890 you know, just try to carve out even a little 00:32:52.890 --> 00:32:57.529 bit of time in a meditative space and try to 00:32:57.529 --> 00:33:00.700 see what... but comes of it for sure for sure 00:33:00.700 --> 00:33:02.819 yeah i think the other thing that comes to mind 00:33:02.819 --> 00:33:04.420 to me like i want to go back a little bit to 00:33:04.420 --> 00:33:06.460 what you said at the beginning about this idea 00:33:06.460 --> 00:33:09.099 of ships passing by and not jumping on board 00:33:09.099 --> 00:33:11.920 any of those thought boats or thought trains 00:33:11.920 --> 00:33:16.599 um yeah and and one of the things that i find 00:33:16.599 --> 00:33:19.799 helpful in that sometimes is having is you call 00:33:19.799 --> 00:33:22.059 it like a mantra but having like a phrase or 00:33:22.059 --> 00:33:23.680 something that you come back to and so it could 00:33:23.680 --> 00:33:26.660 be as simple as just saying jesus and repeating 00:33:26.660 --> 00:33:29.930 that either out loud or in your mind. A couple 00:33:29.930 --> 00:33:32.569 of other ones that I sometimes find helpful is, 00:33:32.569 --> 00:33:34.829 again, like words right from scripture. So things 00:33:34.829 --> 00:33:38.849 like be still and know that I am God. Sometimes 00:33:38.849 --> 00:33:41.890 I will just repeat that to myself over and over 00:33:41.890 --> 00:33:47.369 and over again. Or there's this story in the 00:33:47.369 --> 00:33:51.890 Old Testament where I think it's Samuel as a 00:33:51.890 --> 00:33:54.309 child is at the temple. And what he's instructed 00:33:54.309 --> 00:33:56.670 to say is like, speak, Lord, your servant is 00:33:56.670 --> 00:33:58.730 listening. Right. And so just being able to say 00:33:58.730 --> 00:34:02.630 that speak, Lord, I'm listening. Right. And just 00:34:02.630 --> 00:34:05.710 opening that space and reminding yourself that 00:34:05.710 --> 00:34:08.090 that's what's happening here. And actually inviting 00:34:08.090 --> 00:34:11.210 God very intentionally into that as well. I mean, 00:34:11.309 --> 00:34:13.130 I know sometimes if they're really tired and 00:34:13.130 --> 00:34:15.130 I'm praying with the kids and, you know, it's 00:34:15.130 --> 00:34:17.800 too much of an effort to. pray your own prayers, 00:34:17.920 --> 00:34:20.420 we'll very quickly say things that we would like. 00:34:20.500 --> 00:34:22.860 But then we end with Psalm 23. Right. That tends 00:34:22.860 --> 00:34:25.440 to be the one that we say together. Yeah. And 00:34:25.440 --> 00:34:28.119 it's just such a good reminder of saying he is 00:34:28.119 --> 00:34:31.519 up. He's like, you know. Yeah. Yeah. And so he 00:34:31.519 --> 00:34:34.360 is a shepherd. And that that, again, has become 00:34:34.360 --> 00:34:37.320 a kind of prayer we we say on an ongoing basis. 00:34:37.460 --> 00:34:40.519 So that's good. Yeah. Well, I would say, you 00:34:40.519 --> 00:34:44.869 know, in sort of in summary. because we've talked 00:34:44.869 --> 00:34:47.949 about the challenges of solitude. Be kind to 00:34:47.949 --> 00:34:52.010 yourself. For sure, for sure. Because so if you 00:34:52.010 --> 00:34:54.090 can't do five minutes, you can't do five minutes. 00:34:54.210 --> 00:34:56.989 Go back the next day, you know, the next day. 00:34:56.989 --> 00:35:00.190 Yeah. Eventually it will happen. Yeah. And when 00:35:00.190 --> 00:35:02.710 it happens, your soul will be nourished. For 00:35:02.710 --> 00:35:05.650 sure. For sure. Yeah. Don't be impatient. Yeah. 00:35:05.690 --> 00:35:07.909 Yeah. Yeah. Just take some time. And when you 00:35:07.909 --> 00:35:09.829 feel the impatience coming up with yourself, 00:35:09.829 --> 00:35:13.409 like just like take a breath. move on like don't 00:35:13.409 --> 00:35:16.349 get stuck in the impatience yeah yeah for sure 00:35:16.349 --> 00:35:18.429 yeah well thank you so much folks i think this 00:35:18.429 --> 00:35:21.510 has been a really helpful dive into a practice 00:35:21.510 --> 00:35:23.849 that is maybe really new for a lot of people 00:35:23.849 --> 00:35:26.510 and that is definitely really hard for a lot 00:35:26.510 --> 00:35:30.449 of people um but yeah acknowledging the challenges 00:35:30.449 --> 00:35:33.349 looking forward to the rewards and finding those 00:35:33.480 --> 00:35:36.059 those practical small steps that we can take 00:35:36.059 --> 00:35:39.820 to build up our ability to just sit in the presence 00:35:39.820 --> 00:35:43.500 of God. Yeah and looking forward to the rest 00:35:43.500 --> 00:35:45.639 of our series as we continue to build on some 00:35:45.639 --> 00:35:48.239 different practices and how we can actually make 00:35:48.239 --> 00:35:51.460 space to make our whole lives a way of following 00:35:51.460 --> 00:35:54.719 Jesus together. Thank you for tuning in to this 00:35:54.719 --> 00:35:57.519 week's episode of Trinity Talks. I hope you will 00:35:57.519 --> 00:36:00.579 continue to join in as we continue these practices 00:36:00.579 --> 00:36:02.860 together and that this week you're able to find 00:36:02.860 --> 00:36:05.480 maybe even two minutes, five minutes to spend 00:36:05.480 --> 00:36:09.360 some time alone in the presence of God and to 00:36:09.360 --> 00:36:12.639 allow God to speak words of love and kindness 00:36:12.639 --> 00:36:14.760 and generosity towards you.