2024! The year I leave the United States to live overseas on mission to serve and share the gospel to the people of Asia. The year I grow and stretch exponentially by learning a new language, culture, way of life. The year I will learn that I have never truly known the importance of dependance on God and His plan for me or His will for my life. The year I will question what I am willing to sacrifice for the sake of the gospel. This year, I am preparing for the highest of highs and lowest of lows. Preparing for battle is crucial, and thus far, it has not been easy but it has been RICH!
My New Year's resolution is to learn the discipline of silence and solitude. Why? Because my capacity to understand my circumstances is within the bounds of explantation by words. My tendency to try to fix things myself only digs me into a deeper hole, my habit to busy my hands only distracts me from the lesson the Lord wants me to learn and my addiction to noise only deafens me from hearing the still small voice of wisdom trying to guide my way. This discipline is so far from the cultural norm today that it only makes me want to master it more. I don't think I have ever realized how easy it is for the enemy to get me far from the Lord just from distraction!
In years past I had tried diets, new habits, more exercise, more water! But this year is different, preparing for deployment has a way of getting your mind off of yourself and onto the purpose of the kingdom. Things that I never knew were holding me back before became noticeable to me. My screen time is outrageous and it's probably below average! Silence and solitude is just the practice to fight this norm. It is also how I am going to replace it, not with more noise and distraction, but with clarity, peace, truth and the power of the God. So when I encounter battle in the form of fear, doubt or exhaustion I can "be still and know" that He is God, and He will be exalted among the nations and He will be exalted in the earth!
I recommend the book "Invitation to Solitude and Silence: Experiencing God's Transforming Presence" by Ruth Haley Barton to learn more about this discipline.