Does Your Personality Type Impact How You Practice Solitude and Silence?
"Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed." Mark 1:35 NIV
Jesus routinely slipped away to a quiet, solitary place to pray and commune with the Father. In this, He provides us with an example of the importance of practicing solitude and silence.
But does whether you are an introvert or extrovert impact how you might practice solitude and silence in your day-to-day life?
Absolutely it does!
If you are an introvert like me, practicing spiritual disciplines like solitude, silence, sabbath, and slowing comes naturally. On the contrary, when I fellowship with other people, I lose energy and need to be alone to recharge. Spending an hour each morning in solitude and silence - praying and meditating on God's Word - is the best part of my day, and I wouldn't miss it for the world! And the idea of spending a weekend retreat alone with just me and God at a local monastery sounds wonderful.
But for all my extrovert friends out there, you thrive on spiritual disciplines like worship, celebration, service, and hospitality. You are a gracious host, quick to encourage, exude joy and gain energy from being with others. However, spending more than fifteen minutes each day in solitude might be more than you can take. And if I invited you to come along on my silent weekend retreat, you would probably be climbing the walls trying to escape after a few hours.
THE REALITY IS EVERYONE NEEDS SOME AMOUNT OF SOLITUDE AND SILENCE, but depending on if you are an introvert or extrovert, the practice of solitude and silence in your day-to-day life will likely look very different, and that's perfectly ok.
Today, take a minute to pray about what solitude and silence might look like for you based on how God has uniquely wired you.
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