“The paradox in life is that we cover the steepest climb in the spiritual life by staying still.”
Tyler Stanton
Life is full of paradoxes, and God’s kingdom is the same way. The other day, my husband asked me, “What has caused your faith and walk with God to grow since living in Kansas?” I told him I thought my answer would surprise him. I said, “Solitude and slowing down. Because it’s in those times I get to know God better and who He created me to be.”
Since moving to Wichita, solitude and stillness have caused me to experience the most spiritual growth. Those are things I would not think would lead to transformation. Yet, sitting still in God’s presence and quieting myself has perpetuated the most productivity in my spiritual formation, becoming more like Christ. But God is a God of paradoxes and the Author of upside-down thinking.
Satan is the creator of our right-side-up culture that encourages us to stay busy to be productive instead of sitting still and being quiet enough to listen to God’s voice. The enemy of our soul wants us to focus on the external, getting things done, to distract us from God’s truth and what is best for our soul. God desires us to focus on our internal world to become who He created us to be. It’s in solitude that we not only find and understand who God is, but it is also there that we discover our true selves.
In God’s upside-down kingdom, solitude is where our souls mature and become content. “But I have calmed and quieted myself, I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content” (Psalm 131:2). To gain depth with God, we need to quiet ourselves away from the noisy, busy, and cluttered culture that we live in. Depth requires time, reflection, and commitment, which come from stillness. The more we grow in our relationship with the Lord, the less we mind silence because His presence overrides our loneliness.
What if the most spiritually productive thing you can do is the practice of solitude? The next time you desire to become more spiritually fruitful, choose to become still and let God work from the inside out in His upside-down kingdom way. And in so doing, you will become a gift the world needs.
“A quiet inner life is the canvas on which God creates His masterpieces. Apart from waiting you cannot become who God created you to be.”
Tyler Stanton
Relevant Reflection:
What revelation regarding spiritual growth and God’s upside-down kingdom surprised you?
Image by Alain Audet from Pixabay
Comments