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
“From isolation three chief benefits, among many others, follow.
The first is that a man, by separating himself from many friends and acquaintances, and likewise from many not well-ordered affairs, to serve and praise God our Lord, merits no little in the sight of His Divine Majesty.
The second is, that being thus isolated, and not having his understanding divided on many things, but concentrating his care on one only, namely, on serving his Creator and benefiting his own soul, he uses with greater freedom his natural powers, in seeking with diligence what he so much desires.
The third: the more our soul finds itself alone and isolated, the more apt it makes itself to approach and to reach its Creator and Lord, and the more it so approaches Him, the more it disposes itself to receive graces and gifts from His Divine and Sovereign Goodness.”
Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556) in The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola () 15
I am at the Brazil Missions Congress with over a thousand people. The schedule includes activities from 7am to 11pm daily. As you can imagine, there is little space to think or rest. I crave isolation and the benefits it offers.
I know my wife, Jenni, can relate. We talk almost daily as our calendars overlap, but she’s either having a soul care session, walking the dog, or on her way to her next commitment. Perhaps you crave isolation too?
Think of isolation not as living in a cave as a hermit, but as slipping away like Jesus in today’s Scripture to get the graces and gifts we need to serve others. By this way, we meet them with a full cup, not an empty one.
In isolation, I love how Ignatius portrays our Creator and Lord as “His Divine and Sovereign Goodness” which is another word for generosity. If we want to live generous lives, we must isolate to receive graces and gifts.
And, like Jesus, it might mean we have to get up early or sneak away from the crowds like he had to do. But it’s worth it. Is your calendar full? Block margin for isolation and just see what God gives you.