Balancing solitude and society.

"Solitude and Society, finding the balance between them is a great struggle." Dr Hotchkiss.

That comment was made in the midst his lecture this past wednesday on the marks of Romanticism, of which I sadly do not remember much of. But it was that comment that really got my brain going, and of which I would like to share some quick thoughts on.

As human beings created in the image of God, we were made for relationships, Father, Son, Holy Spirit have been in perfect relationship from eternity past and will continue to live in that perfect relationship for eternity. And so for for us humans to take part in society is a good thing, to have friendship and fellowship is of grave importance in this life. Solitude though, can be a good thing in this life as well. To break away from the cares of this day and spend time alone can be just as important.

I think there are two dangers that go along with Solitude and Society, it is not just the struggle of finding the balance between the two which Dr. Hotchkiss mentioned that we must be careful of, but we also must ask ourself what that time is spent doing. I would argue that not only is it dangerous if you are one who spends too much time to himself, or too much time with other people, it is also dangerous if in that time alone or with friends it is being wasted.

Finding the balance and figuring out when to be with people or take a step back and be alone is indeed a great struggle. I think that can many times be answered by asking yourself the questions of what am I using this time for, and why?

If your time with friends is always spent "hanging out" and never any effort of pointing them to Christ is made, be careful! Just as, if all your time spent in solitude is spent watching movies, playing computer games, checking facebook, etc, and never spent with The Lord in prayer and scripture, or reflecting over the day/week, or completing the tasks set before you for that day, then you too must take heed! "Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. (Ephesians 5:15,16 ESV)" We are called to be intentional with our time.

A simple way I like to think about it is this, I think we should use our time in solitude in a such a way that it allows us to make the most of our time with others. For example building our relationship with The Lord helps us to more fully love and serve others, or completing our hw allows us to more fully be there when we do get to be with people instead of always having our mind on the tasks we need to complete as someone sits across from us and shares their heart, or reading a book to gain another perspective on life that could be helpful to the body. With that thought process, it also allows for saying no to specific times of fellowship so that you can step back, spend some time alone getting the things done you need to, and make more of the next time you do get with that person.

These are just a few thoughts though, and I am by no means anywhere close to this in my own walk. I struggle with wasting time just as much as the next person, using it on myself and my selfish passions, and by God's grace, I hope and and pray (as well as fight!) to make more of it for His glory and honor.