Being an introvert, the highlight of spiritual rhythms retreat was when they required us all to go sit by ourselves in the woods. While I know that I enjoy being alone, I still fail to do it on a regular basis at Impact, and coming out of the retreat I really want to practice solitude more consistently because of what I learned during my time.
I spent most of my time of solitude sitting in my hammock reading, copying out scripture, and just being with God. I started out my time by copying one of my favorite passages of scripture, John 15:1-11, which is the passage about Jesus as the vine and us as the branches and how we are called to abide in Him. Verse seven says “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” This really set my mindset for the rest of my time dwelling on the idea that God desires us to be with Him, and when we prioritize our relationship with Him then other areas of our lives will grow so much.
My main take away from that time was the realization that I was not spending enough time with God, and I was stressing about all my human relationships instead of focusing on my relationship with Him. I want to be able to joyfully step away and just spend time with God, whether that be reading my bible, praying or just sitting in His presence. One of the challenges here at Impact is that there is always something going on, always something fun to do or someone to talk to, and it’s hard to step away.
It’s necessary to take time away and to practice the discipline of solitude to be able to spend time with my heavenly father.
I’d love this year to be characterized by my growth in my relationship with God through solitude, and a love for being with Him.
Anna Mezey, Class of 2027
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