Solitude vs. loneliness

 

Good morning.

As I start the day, I am thinking of what I consider to be two sides of the same coin. 

Namely, solitude and loneliness.

The first is a gift, and the latter is, quite frankly, a curse, in my experience.

Now I have experienced both at various times in my life, and to me it comes down to my making a choice when the occasion arises.

What do I want? Do I want to thrive, or do I want to merely endure and suffer?

Both states can be totally in touch with reality. 

The more we see the benefits of one and the harm of the other, the more we can practice making that choice throughout our lives.

Both solitude and loneliness arise from the same occasion or accidental situation.

A comparison (you can look it up):

"Solitude is the state of being alone, often by choice. 

Unlike loneliness—which carries an involuntary, painful feeling of isolation—solitude is generally a positive, constructive, and peaceful experience of being present with oneself. It is commonly used for reflection, creativity, and spiritual growth."

Personal reflection: 

Now being able to make a choice between the two states given a particular circumstance is, in my experience, like training a muscle. Every opportunity to make a choice either brings us closer or farther from fulfillment.

Ask yourself the question, "What do I want?"

Make a choice: will I embrace the gift or not?

For me, that awareness of the ability to choose started way back when I was 26 years old (I am now 59) when I had reached my limit mentally, emotionally, and physically while under great stress in a Catholic seminary.

I reached out for help and eventually was given GREAT relief from medication therapy.

Since that time, my relationships improved as well as my ability to work and be productive. The ability to make choices between growth and stagnation.

The sun will come up... a personal belief

 

I am kind of stuck in my apartment today because of an arthritic knee, and I needed some color, beauty, and creativity to brighten my day.

I know, it's pretty simplistic, but it did cheer me up a bit as I contemplate my financial plight and my prospects for going back to "regular" work after serving as my father's main caregiver until a year ago.

The mind can be a wonderful and brutal thing on its own.

Anyway, as a Christian, I do believe that there is a beautiful sunrise waiting for the faithful, but I just am not ready to put that off until the afterlife to realize it.

There is too much life in me still.

Let this little illustration be my prayer for the realization of some temporal dreams of mine.

Christ, hear us.

Christ, graciously hear us.

Funny pic

 

I have to admit. When I have free time, I sometimes end up scrolling FB like a lot of people.

Most of the content I just glance at and run right by, but this funny (to me) illustration caught my eye and gave me a heartfelt chuckle.

Kudos to the cartoonist.

The horrors of perfectionism

 

As one who has suffered dearly in the past from scrupulosity and perfectionism, it is my sincere prayer for you right now (if you need it) that you break these bonds that may be binding you.

I'm sitting here trying to write a meaningful post, and I don't really know what to say on the subject other than may you find grace and peace knowing that God loves you right now just as you are and wants the best for you. He knows us from the inside out and only wants us to grow and thrive.

I know for a very hard-learned fact that God's love is greater than our own limitations, as well as the people, places, and things that may be keeping us tied up or causing us anxiety and pain.

I won't draw this post out. Know that you are loved by a God who wants you to be truly free.

And then there was light! (The power was out for 3 days)

 

We had a tornado and macroburst pass right over us this past Sunday and have been without power for over 3 days.

It was odd not having any light or a refrigerator or an electric stove in the apartment. That's the longest power outage I've ever been in and it was a testing experience.

No t.v., no internet, no fan or a/c in this heat.

I tried to look at it positively and to learn something from it.

It was somewhat of an unintended electricity "fasting."

What did I learn? We become so dependent on things (in this case electronics) that when they are taken away, we are left with a sense of void that must be filled.

I felt something similar (though obviously more profound) when I lost my dad at 93 last year. Everything at home suddenly felt unfamiliar for a while.

We get attached to people and things. That is normal. But when we lose them, it is a great learning moment for me that God is always with us.

He was with me during the loss of my father, and he was with me during this relatively minor loss of power in comparison.

Thank you, Lord, for being there when we suffer loss.

Thank you for seeing us through the darkness and into the light.

Honesty with God and Freedom

 

I'm kind of following up on the previous post where I wrote about our need to be able to be honest with people, and especially God.

It is my belief that the more we can be honest with God, the more He will reveal Himself to us and the more we will be set free from what keeps us bound in sickness and sin.

The picture of the quote from the bible above actually starts with "and you will know the truth and..."

God is a god of peace and ultimate understanding.

He knows all of the things that have affected us and helped form us into what we are today.

Oftentimes we don't know the truth about ourselves, though.

Good and bad.

In my short book Winning the Battle with Mental Illness... I contend that we are only able to reach out for help when we have the freedom to do so.

I found out as a young man who was suffering from severe anxiety, depression and mood swings (which I didn't even recognize as such yet; I thought that was just being tested as I pursued a "calling" to the priesthood) that by opening myeslf to God first, I was freed to be able to reach out and take the initial steps toward healing and the relief of the enormous burden of anxiety and pain through the mental health community.

Over the years, I discovered that the reality and goodness of prudently prescribed medication (if one truly needs it) was another major key to freeing me to live a normal, healthy life.

"Are we ever truly free?"

There is always something in this lifetime which keeps us bound, but I liken it to having the "freedom" of a jail cell to that of a small apartment or even a house with a yard. (Some people almost literally have the world as their playground.)

There is interior freedom, economic freedom, physical freedom, etc that all carry the weight of responsibility that we will be answerable for in this life and the next.

As we celebrate our great nation's 250th birthday today, let us celebrate the hard-won freedoms that we enjoy and remember that we are only as great and free as the "least" in our society.

Find someone you can be totally honest with (God?)

 

Oftentimes, we seem to have no one that we can be truly honest with. 

There is always one person that you can and should be totally honest with, in my opinion. God.

Easier said than done, though.

Who is this God?

Many people have many ideas (or perhaps none at all).

I am very thankful to have good friends I can be very honest with.

Most of the time, they don't have the answers I want to hear.

That makes them no less of a human friend.

Sometimes the silence of God to our honesty with Him can be deafening to us.

Maybe He wants you to dig a little deeper.

Maybe He is waiting for you to be honest with Him.

Forget all the rules and regulations that you may have been exposed to.

He is a living God. 

He created you.

Knit you within the womb and knows everything about you.

If you can't be honest with the very God who called you into existence, then who can you be honest with?

"But God causes pain!"

God endured pain for us.

He defeated death at its own game and is there to forgive.

Pray for me as I pray for you.

I am a sinner.

My parents were sinners.

My ancestors were sinners.

Alone I am doomed, but with my friends and my God anything is possible.

Yes, forgiveness.

Redemption.

Mercy.